Pakistan
ECP announces the complete results of Pakistan's General Election 2024
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday announced the complete results of the country's General Election 2024 held on Feb. 8.
According to the election results announced for the National Assembly (NA), or the lower house of the country's parliament, independent candidates got 101 seats, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif got 75 seats and the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians of former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari got 54 seats.
Read: Pakistan's ex-PM Sharif says he will seek coalition government after trailing imprisoned rival Khan
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan got 17 seats, the Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan got four seats, the Pakistan Muslim League got three seats, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party and Balochistan National Party got two seats each, while Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League (Zia-ul-Haq Shaheed), Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party Pakistan, Balochistan Awami Party, Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party and the National Party got one seat each.
Read: Pakistan votes for a new parliament as militant attacks surge and jailed leader's party cries foul
The ECP announced the result of 262 out of 266 seats for the NA after the country held general elections on Feb. 8 to elect a government for the next five-year term.
The election body of the country postponed voting for one seat due to the death of a candidate and withheld the result for one seat and announced partial re-voting for it.
Who is Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s mysterious third wife?
The mysterious and enigmatic persona of Bushra Bibi, third wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan, has come under heightened scrutiny, particularly following their recent conviction in a corruption case.
In stark contrast to Khan’s two previous high-profile marriages with British socialite Jemima Goldsmith and journalist Reham Khan, Bushra has maintained a veiled and low-profile existence, emphasizing her intellect and character rather than her appearance, as disclosed by Khan in 2018, reports BBC.
Apart from her discreet personal life, it is Bushra’s “mystical” attributes that have fueled widespread speculation. Recognized as a faith healer with a small following, she garnered respect as a spiritual adviser, rooted in the Sufi tradition that emphasizes the inner quest for God and detachment from worldly concerns, it said.
The marriage of Khan and Bushra in 2018 marked a departure from his previous grand unions, with the ceremony influenced by their shared interest in Sufism and conducted with minimal fanfare. Rumors circulate that Khan sought advice from Bushra after encountering her at a 13th-century Sufi shrine, where she purportedly dreamt that their union would pave the way for Khan to become the prime minister. Subsequently, they married, and six months later, Khan assumed office.
Read: Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan is convicted again, days before elections
Bushra, however, binned the claim.
The subsequent years of Imran Khan’s tenure were marked by economic challenges, rising living costs, political oppression, curtailed media freedoms, and human rights violations.
His political downfall ensued, culminating in his ousting in 2022 through a vote of no confidence and subsequent arrests. The recent corruption case resulting in imprisonment and fines for both Khan and Bushra has raised questions about her role in the alleged illegal selling of state gifts, valued at over RS 140 million ($501,000; £395,000), the report said.
Facing a 14-year sentence, Bushra also contends with legal challenges from her former husband, Khawar Maneka – a civil servant and son of a well-known politician – filed a complaint alleging fraudulent marriage and fornication.
Under Muslim family law, women are prohibited from remarrying for a few months after their husband dies or they are divorced. It is alleged that Bushra married Imran Khan before the completion of the stipulated time following her divorce from Khawar Maneka.
As Bushra Bibi navigates through these legal complexities, a government notice suggests she will be placed under house arrest in Islamabad until further orders.
The intriguing narrative surrounding Imran Khan’s mysterious third wife continues to unfold, leaving many unanswered questions about her role and influence in the tumultuous political landscape.
Read more: Jinnah House attack case: Imran called for quizzing
BPL: Shoaib Malik to rejoin Barishal in early February
Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik is set to rejoin his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) team, Fortune Barishal, on February 2, the team management confirmed on Wednesday.
According to Barishal's official statement, “Pakistani senior all-rounder Shoaib Malik will rejoin with the Fortune Barishal on 2 February 2024. In Sylhet phase Barishal will play last game against Khulna on 3 February.”
Mashrafe Takes a Break from BPL After Sylhet Strikers' String of Defeats
Malik had left the BPL after the first Dhaka phase, with initial reports suggesting he was released for the entire season.
This decision sparked controversy, with speculation arising that Malik's departure was linked to suspicions of fixing, particularly due to his delivery of three no-balls in an over during Barishal's match against Khulna Tigers in Dhaka.
BPL 2024: Mahmudullah and Imran inspire Barishal’s big win over Sylhet
Responding to the controversy, the Barishal team management issued a statement affirming that "Malik gave his best for them" during his time with the team.
Malik has been in the spotlight recently for his separation from Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza and his marriage to Pakistani actress Sana Javed.
BPL 2024: Riders Secure Third Victory Despite Late Surge by Victorians
5 killed as blast hits political rally in SW Pakistan
At least five people were killed and five others injured when a blast went off near a political rally in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Tuesday, official sources said.
Pakistani court sentences former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 10 years for revealing state secrets
The incident happened around 5:35 p.m. local time (1235 GMT) when explosive materials fixed at a motorbike exploded in Sibi district of the province, the sources told Xinhua.
ICC U-19 Men's World Cup: Bangladesh play Nepal in their first super six match on Wednesday
Former champions Bangladesh will start the super six campaign of the ICC U-19 Men's World Cup' 2024 taking on their South Asian rivals Nepal, the 3rd ranked team of Group D on Wednesday (Jan 31).
The match will kick at 2 pm ( Bangladesh time) at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein in South Africa.
They will play Group D champions Pakistan in the other super six match at Benoni in South Africa on Saturday (February 3).
After the 16- team first group phase ended on Sunday, top 12 teams, divided in two groups, entered the super six stage.
BCB Special Committee meets with Shakib, Tamim to evaluate World Cup performance
The Super Six will involve the top three sides from each of the four round-robin groups, with teams progressing from Groups A and D comprising one Group while the teams from B and C in another group.
Each of the teams will carry forward their points and net run rate (NRR) in the super six stage which they earned in the group stage matches.
The six teams, which made super six berth from group A and D are: India, Bangladesh, Ireland (Group A) Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal ( Group D).
South Africa, England, West Indies, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe qualified for the super six stage from Group B and C respectively.
The remaining four teams --USA, Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland – which didn't make the super six berth-– will compete in the play-off matches for the last four places of the tournament.
The teams will play two matches in the Super Six stage against their opponents from the corresponding group which finished in a different position in their group.
BPL 2024: Chattogram's winning streak continue
That means India (toppers of Group A) will face off against New Zealand (second position in Group D while Nepal, third position in Group D) will play Bangladesh, the 2nd team of Group A) .
The top two sides from the two Super Six groups will qualify for the semi-final stage.
The two semi-final matches scheduled to be held on February 6 and 8 respectively while the final is set to take place on ( February 11) , with all three knockout games set to take place in Benoni.
Complete fixtures of the Super Six matches
January 30:
India v New Zealand in Bloemfontein
Sri Lanka v West Indies in Kimberley
Pakistan v Ireland in Potchefstroom
BCB to Discuss Bangladesh’s World Cup Disappointment with Shakib
January 31:
Nepal v Bangladesh in Bloemfontein
Australia v England in Kimberley
Zimbabwe v South Africa in Potchefstroom
February 02:
India v Nepal in Bloemfontein
West Indies v Australia in Kimberley
South Africa v Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom
February 03:
Pakistan v Bangladesh in Benoni
New Zealand v Ireland in Bloemfontein
England v Zimbabwe in Potchefstroom
Women's Tri-nation Series: Bangladesh earn 2nd consecutive win beating Pakistan by 36 runs
Hosts Bangladesh U-19 Women's team earned the 2nd consecutive victory in the Tri-nation U-19 Women' s T20 Series beating Pakistan by 36 runs in their 2nd match at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in Cox's Bazar on Saturday.
BPL 2024: Avishka Shines as Chattogram Challengers Win Against Struggling BarishalBangladesh batted first in the day's match after winning the toss and scored 136 runs for the loss of four wickets in quota 20 overs with captain Sumaiya Akter contributing 32 runs from 24 balls.Besides, Arbin Tani scored 31, Sumaiya Suborna 24 and Rabeya Khan 23 runs for Bangladesh.Anosha Nasir grabbed two Bangladesh wickets.
In reply, Pakistan scored just 100 runs losing seven wickets in the stipulated 20 overs featuring 51 runs in the opening stand.
BPL 2024: Victorians outplay Strikers as Aliss takes fourOpener Eyman Fatima scored 39 runs and another opener Samiya Afsar made 25 runs, were the main scorers for Pakistan.
Afia Asima Era grabbed two Pakistani wickets while Faria Akter and Rabeya Khan took one wicket each.Later, national spinner Rabeya Khan, who scored 23 runs and grabbed one wicket, was adjudged the best player of the match.
U-19 World Cup: Ariful hits a ton to propl Bangladesh to Super SixEarlier on Wednesday, Bangladesh made a flying start in the Tri-nation Women' s T20 Series defeating Sri Lanka by five wickets at the same venue.
Preview of 2023 Pakistan vs Australia 3rd Test Match
After losing two back-to-back Tests against Australia, Pakistan will look to overcome their lackings, win the last Test match, and start the new year on a positive note.
Before the final Test match, let’s have a look at the preview, which will take place on Wednesday, January 03 at Sydney Cricket Ground at 12 pm Bangladesh time ( Local Time 05:30 am).
It will be the last match of the series, an important one for Pakistan, as their mediocre tour in Australia continues over two decades.
Preview of Pakistan vs Australia Third Test Match in 2023
Although they lost both matches, Pakistan showed promise at the start. But lack of inconsistency, and poor performance from the batters, led to a bad ending.
Overview of PAK vs AUS First Test
The 1st Test was played from the 14th to the 17th of December at Perth.
Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. Australia scored 487 runs after getting all-out. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh put up a strong 360-run partnership. Warner and Marsh scored 164 and 90 runs respectively.
Debutant Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal impressed the most as they took 12 wickets combined out of the total 15 wickets Pakistan took in the match.
Pakistan team made a good start, as Imam ul Haq and Abdullah Shafique scored 60 and 42 respectively. But soon they started to crumble consistently. Nathan Lyon was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3 wickets. Besides, Cummins and Starc chipped in with 2 wickets each.
Australia declared their second innings after scoring 232 runs, losing 5 wickets, and set a massive target of 450 runs. Mitchell Marsh was adjudged man of the match.
Pakistan in reply, collapsed heavily, scoring only 89 runs, facing the heaviest defeat of 360 runs. Skipper Pat Cummins took 5 wickets. Lyon contributed with the ball again, taking 3 wickets.
Read more: Bangladesh Cricket in 2023: Men’s ODI Series- Performance Analysis
Overview of PAK vs AUS Second Test
After a heavy defeat, Pakistan faced Australia on the 26th of December in Melbourne.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl.
Australia scored only 318 runs. Marnus Labuschagne scored 63 runs. Aamer Jamal took 3 wickets, while Shaheen, Hamza, and Ali took 2 wickets each.
Pakistan managed to score only 264 runs. Scoring 62 runs, Abdullah Shafique made a good start. Shan Maqsood, captain also scored a half-century.
Cummin's outstanding bowling picked up 5 wickets, while Lyon took 4 wickets.
Australia could not start their second innings as expected. They lost 4 wickets in a very short time with a score of 16 runs on the board.
Mitchell Marsh steadied the innings with Steve Smith, putting up a partnership of 153 runs. Still, Australia managed to score only 262 runs, setting a total of 317 runs for Pakistanis to chase. Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, and Alex Carrey scored 96, 50 and 53 runs respectively.
Shaheen Afridi and Mir Hamza took 4 wickets each and restricted the Aussies to a score that would be easy to chase down in the last innings.
Pakistan batted their second innings with clear intent to win the match and level the score 1-1.
But unfortunately, they could not chase down the total, getting all out for just 237 runs. Shan Maqsood, Babar Azam, and Agha Salman scored 61 runs, 41 runs, and 50 runs respectively giving some hope to win the match.
Pat Cummins was too much to handle, as he bagged another 5, ending the match with 10 wickets. He was awarded the Man of the Match award.
Read more: Was 2023 a Good or Bad Year for Bangladesh Cricket? Here’s What Stats Say
Pakistan vs Australia Head-to-Head Records In Test
Matches
Won by Australia
Won by Pakistan
Tied
N/R
70
34
15
20
01
Australia is way ahead of Pakistan in Tests, winning 34 matches, whereas Pakistan only won 15 matches.
Probable Australia Test Squad
Pat Cummins (c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Lance Morris, Scott Boland, and Josh Hazlewood.
Probable Pakistan Test Squad
Shan Masood(c), Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Aamer Jamal, Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf,
Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Noman Ali, Mir Hamza, and Khurram Shahzad.
Final Verdict
After taking the series 2-0, Australia will look forward to winning the last match and wrap up the series with a clean sweep of, 3-0. Before this series, Australia were dominating with 34 wins against Pakistan overall.
Pakistan only won 15 against Aussies. And, they have lost the ongoing series. Still, they will try to end the 2023 PAK vs AUS Test Series with a win and start their new year 2024 with a fresh approach.
Read more: Bangladesh Men’s Test Cricket in 2023: Performance Analysis
Women's ODI Series: Bangladesh to play Pakistan in series-deciding 3rd ODI match on Friday
Bangladesh Women's Cricket team will play against visiting Pakistan Women's in the deciding 3rd match of the three- match Women's ODI Series on Friday (November 10).
The vital match between two teams will start at 9:30 am at the Sher-e- Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
New Zealand edges closer to semifinal with clinical win over Sri Lanka at Cricket World Cup
Pakistan team took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series beating hosts Bangladesh team by five wickets in the first match at the same venue last Saturday.
But, hosts Bangladesh leveled the series 1-1 beating Pakistan by Super Over in a nail- biting 2nd ODI also at the Sher-e- Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka last Tuesday.
Bangladesh team to leave for Melbourne to play Australia in FIFA World Cup qualifiers
The 2nd ODI between two teams rolled to Super Over when Pakistan Women's team were all out for 169 runs in 49.5 overs to make a tie, replying to Bangladesh's total 169 for 9 in quota 50 overs.
In a pre-match press conference on Thursday , Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana emphasised on the team's improved batting to win the series and as well as to improve their ranking.
New Zealand wins the toss, sends Sri Lanka in to bat in must-win game at the Cricket World Cup
"We are now struggling in the batting. We need to improve our batting. We want to score 200 plus runs to win the series as well as to improve our international ranking" the captain said.
Earlier, Bangladesh Women's team won their historic and first-ever Women's T20 Series against Pakistan beating them 2-1 in the three-match series at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram last month.
World Cup 2023: Rachin and Williamson Propel NZ to 401 against Pakistan
Rachin Ravindra showcased his form with another century in the ongoing ICC World Cup, while Kane Williamson narrowly missed a century by five runs, steering New Zealand to an imposing total of 401 in their crucial face-off against Pakistan on Saturday.
Read : India's Hardik Pandya ruled out of Cricket World Cup
Despite winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, Pakistan struggled to contain New Zealand's onslaught, allowing them to amass a formidable score.
During the first 20 overs, Pakistan conceded 125 runs, managing to secure only one wicket.
Read : World Cup 2023: New Zealand off to a Solid Start in Crucial Match against Pakistan
In the second-wicket partnership, Rachin and Williamson combined for an impressive 180 runs, with the latter scoring 95 off 79 balls.
Read : India dismantles Sri Lanka to book semifinal spot at Cricket World Cup with 302-run win
Both teams entered this match with their sights set on the semifinals. A victory would greatly enhance New Zealand's chances, while a defeat would effectively close the door for Pakistan.
World Cup 2023: New Zealand off to a Solid Start in Crucial Match against Pakistan
New Zealand got off to a strong start against Pakistan in their crucial encounter in the ICC World Cup 2023 in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first. However, they managed to take only one wicket in 20 overs, conceding 125 runs in the process.
Unofficial Test : Sri Lanka Emerging Cricket team trails by 32 runs against Bangladesh on Day-3
Rachin Ravindra hit a fifty, his third in this World Cup.
Kane Williamson is leading New Zealand in this match. The regular Kiwi captain had been sidelined for most of the World Cup matches due to injury concerns.
In the opening partnership, New Zealand amassed 68 runs. Devon Conway was the first to fall, scoring 35 runs. He was dismissed by Hasan Ali.
India dismantles Sri Lanka to book semifinal spot at Cricket World Cup with 302-run win
Heading into this match, New Zealand had secured 8 points, while Pakistan had managed six. A victory for New Zealand in this match would eliminate Pakistan from contention for the semifinals.
As of November 4, India is the only team to have qualified for the semifinals of this World Cup.
Bangladesh Women’s Cricket Showing Light of Hope