FARUKH SHEHZAD

Editor-In-Chief/Farukh Shehzad

Yesterday night at Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium a match was played between India and Afghanistan in which India defeated Afghanistan.

Afghanistan cricket team is kind of a team that although it is not the top class team in the world but Afghan Cricket Team has the capability to put fight and give tough time to any cricket team of the world but according to cricketing experts Afghanistan did not play up to their potential against India in T20 World Cup match at Abu Dhabi as they played against Pakistan few days back.

Also Read: India get first points, thrash Afghanistan to stay alive in T20 World Cup

Experts also told that Afghanistan did not include their 2 or 3 key players in match against India on Nov 3 at Abu Dhabi.

So, cricket experts say that this might be an effort to give India a chance to stay alive in T20 World Cup.

According to cricketing experts, Afghanistan did not play his natural game during match against India therefore Cricket experts keeping a close eye on next match of Afghanistan against New Zealand.

If Afghanistan again play poor quality cricket in his upcoming match against New Zealand in this T20 World Cup so it will be indicate that Afghanistan is not showing honesty with cricket.

Experts and Cricket Fans from around the world want Afghanistan to display honest cricket by playing their natural game do fight till the last ball of the match in all of their games in the days to come.

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ABU DHABI, NOV 4: Opening batsman Rohit Sharma hit a blistering 74 to set up India’s first win at the Twenty20 World Cup with a 66-run drubbing of Afghanistan on Wednesday as Virat Kohli’s team avoided a shock early exit.

The Indian batting finally fired with Sharma and KL Rahul, who made 69, putting on 140 for the opening wicket to guide India to 210 for two in their must-win Super 12 game in Abu Dhabi.

The tournament’s highest total proved too much for Afghanistan who finished on 144-7 in 20 overs.

They still remain in the hunt for the semi-finals along with New Zealand and India. Pakistan have already secured their place in the last-four from the group.

India, who came in as hot favourites but crashed to two straight losses, needed to win their remaining three games and depend on others for their entry in the semis.

Returning off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned figures of 2-14 in his first white-ball international since 2017.

But Sharma remained the star with his 47-ball knock that deflated the opposition bowling after Afghanistan elected to field first.

Sharma took five balls to get going with a boundary off skipper Mohammad Nabi, who opened the attack with his off spin, and then tore into the bowling attack.

India raced to 53 in the first six overs of powerplay to signal their intent.

Rohit reached his fifty with a boundary off fast bowler Naveenul Haq and then hit a six to bring up the 100 for the opening stand.

Sharma, who had scores of zero and 14 in India’s two losses, smashed the bowlers all around the park for eight fours and three sixes in his 47-ball knock before losing his wicket to Karim Janat.

Rahul soon followed his partner to the dugout after being bowled by Gulbadin Naib on a slower yorker. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya rode the momentum, putting on an unbeaten partnership of 63.

Pandya, who hit 35, and the left-handed Pant, who made 27, hit five sixes between them.

Afghanistan lead spinner Rashid Khan remained wicketless and gave away 36 runs from his four overs. Naveenul Haq was crashed for 59 runs off his four-over allocation.

India’s new-ball bowlers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah took out the Afghanistan openers early in the innings.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit back with two fours and two sixes off Shami’s third over but soon fell to Ravindra Jadeja after his 10-ball 19.

Ashwin, who came in to the XI in place of Varun Chakravarthy, got down to business as he trapped Gulbadin Naib lbw for 18 and bowled Najibullah Zadran to put Afghanistan in trouble at 69-5.

Never in the chase, Nabi and Janat, who made an unbeaten 42 off 22 balls, put on 57 runs for the sixth wicket to reduce their margin of loss.

Shami broke the stand to send back Nabi and then got Rashid Khan for nought in his final over to finish with three wickets in the match.

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Courtesy DAWN NEWS

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BEIJING, NOV 3: China is unlikely to try to militarily seize Taiwan in the next couple of years, even as its military develops capabilities that would enable forcibly retaking the self-ruled island, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday.

“Based on my analysis of China, I don’t think that it is likely in the near future — being defined as, you know, six, 12, maybe 24 months, that kind of window,” General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Aspen Security Forum, when asked if China was preparing to make a move on Taiwan in the near future.

“Having said that, though, the Chinese are clearly and unambiguously building the capability to provide those options to the national leadership if they so choose at some point in the future. But near future? Probably not. But anything can happen.”

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Courtesy Anews

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DUBAI, NOV 3: T20 World Cup 2021: New Zealand beat Scotland by 16 runs. Opener Martin Guptill's blistering 56-ball 93, which was built around monstrous sixes and authoritative batting, set up a 16-run win for New Zealand over a spirited Scotland in the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. 

In all, Guptill smashed seven sixes and six fours as New Zealand posted 172 for five in the Group 2 Super 12 match. Scotland replied with 156 for five in their allotted 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

Check today's T20 match live score, scorecard, ball-by-ball commentary and highlights of match between New Zealand and Scotland.

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Courtesy timesofindia

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RAWALPINDI, NOV 3: At least 22 people, including women and children, were killed and another eight were injured after a Rawalpindi-bound public transport vehicle plunged into a ravine in the Sudhnoti district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday, police and witnesses said.

The 40-seat coaster had started its journey from tehsil headquarters Baloch and after hardly seven kilometres developed a technical fault, according to some witnesses, who said the vehicle first hit the mountain on the left side of the road and then suddenly turned right and fell more than 500 metres down the road.

A man who was selling pakoras under a tent nearby saw the bus plunge and informed a prayer leader in Majhiari village, some two kilometres towards Baloch, over telephone about it.

The prayer leader then made announcements on the loudspeaker asking villagers to rush to the accident site to aid in the rescue.

Poonch Deputy Inspector General Rashid Naeem Khan told Dawn.com that 22 people had died in the accident. He said five of the injured were sent to Kotli district, while three were transported to Baloch.

Sardar Farooq Ahmed Tahir, a former AJK minister in the previous PML-N government, who rushed to the scene along with rescuers, said 21 bodies had been recovered from the accident site, while one of the injured succumbed to his injuries in the Baloch Rural Health Centre.

Some of the deceased were identified as four-year-old Mujtaba, Abida Mustafa, Umar Bashir, Abdul Hai, Noureen, Abdul Karim, Barkat Khan, Zubaida Kousar, Muhammad Safeer, Rukhsana Khanum, Jamil Qureshi, Mansoor, Muhammad Shafi, Nazir Abdul Karim, Naila, Haroon Gaghar, Adnan Tariq, Rashid Begum and nine-year-old Mahira.

Fatal road accidents are common in the country, especially in rural areas where conditions of roads are decrepit.

Last month, four students and as many passengers were killed and 32 others injured in two road accidents in Poonch and Neelum districts of AJK, while another 10 people were wounded in a third road accident in district Muzaffarabad.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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Munaza Kazmi

“When you really desire something from the heart and soul, all the universe conspires you to achieve it”, Paulo Coelho - Alchemist, 1988.

There are a few stories in the world that exist between reality and legend. They usually begin with the words “it is said” or “Once upon a time”. One such story happens to be about Shahrukh Khan, his dream and the city of Mumbai. Legend has it that a long time ago, way before he became the superstar that he is today, Khan standing on Marine Drive, looked across the gigantic sea at the slowly setting sun, said: “I’ll rule this city one day”.

The Universe conspired and today, Shahrukh Khan is the undisputed Badshah of Bollywood and not just Bollywood but the biggest star of the world.

It wasn’t an easy journey, however. An outsider in every way, Khan came from extremely humble beginnings and had to overcome massive personal and professional losses to reach where he is today.

Moreover, what a grateful and humble SRK that I heard him saying in a couple of interviews, “What I am today is because a lot of people came together to ease my path when I needed it the most. Khan speaks about his “life mentors” who gave him a place to stay in Mumbai when he didn’t have a roof over his head. He emotionally recalls how even the biggest of celebrities, including the evergreen Hema, imparted nuggets of wisdom to him so that he’d be able to make better choices in life.

“When I came from Delhi, I had no family. I had nobody, and I tell this to everyone that I have an extended family in all the filmmakers, all these leading ladies, all the producers, some other friends I’ve made along the way in the film industry. If it wasn’t for them, I genuinely would not be celebrating 25 years of my life here,” said Shahrukh Khan.

Khan’s parents were taken from him at an early age and he admits to having adopted acting as a way to vent his feelings and fill up the void in his life. “My parents went away suddenly. We got to know they had cancer and within two and a half months, they were gone. I didn’t know what to do. I just felt one night, while at their mazaar that I should fill this void with something. I got a fortunate break in films. For me, acting is not work but a place to vent out my feelings.”The Almighty who’s the benefactor of life and death, if test us with difficulties, also makes us find ways to overcome those,” he added, showing incorrigible optimism and the insurmountable ability to overcome obstacles, two characteristics that have come to define him.

When Khan first came to Mumbai, he brought only Rupees 1,500 with him,“I am really scared of failures. Coming from a lower-middle class family, I saw a lot of failure. At a certain juncture of my life, I was thrown out on the road because we could not pay rent. Poverty instils fear, stress and sometimes depression,” he said in an interaction with around 800 management students in 2013.

Despite being faced with such abject poverty and partaking the roles that were being rejected by others (Deewana was turned down by Armaan Kohli, Baazigar by Salman Khan and Darr by Aamir Khan), Khan states that he has never sold his soul for stardom – it’s been sheer, backbreaking hard work mixed with incredible talent and unshakeable faith in himself and the Universe.

The boy who stood on Marine Drive all those years ago could have never imagined how far he’d come. Or maybe he did. Perhaps, that’s why he became the legend we now address by the name of Shah Rukh Khan

In the end I would like to say, for many Shah Rukh Khan is inspiration while for others, he is a living legend, but for me,you are life. You have the smile that can melt hearts, your hair shines like those of raven, your eyes such as of enchanted dreams, and mere sight of yours make me forget everything.

Once again, the whirlpool of time is testing you, I with all the lovers of yours across the globe praying for salvation. And we wish you a very happy birthday with the sincerest prayers.

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Munaza Kazmi holds MPhil in Management Sciences (Bahria University Islamabad, 2020). She’s a travel writer, an author, & co-author of scientific contributions in national & international publications. Her main areas of research include tourism & quality management.

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ABU DHABI, NOV 2: Pakistan defeated Namibia by 45 runs on Tuesday night in Abu Dhabi to become the first side to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2021.

Chasing a formidable target of 190, the African newbies gave a good account of their ability and promise, and were 83-2 at one point in the run chase. They eventually finished with 144-5 as Pakistan collected the two points they needed to go through the next round.

Earlier, skipper Babar Azam and fellow opener Mohammad Rizwan hit half centuries to guide Pakistan to 189-2.

Babar notched his 23rd Twenty20 international fifty with a 49-ball 70 while Rizwan finished with a 50-ball 79 not out after Pakistan won the toss and batted on a greenish Sheikh Zayed stadium pitch.

The pair added 113 for the first wicket after Pakistan were slow out of the blocks, scoring just 59 in the first ten overs but ended with a flurry in the next ten, taking 130 runs.

Veteran Mohammad Hafeez scored a brisk 16-ball 32 not out with five boundaries.

Pakistan’s total is the second highest in this tournament, behind Afghanistan’s 190-4 against Scotland in Sharjah.

Pakistan top Group 1 with three wins in as many games and a victory here will see them become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.

Babar hit seven boundaries before he holed out to David Wiese in the 15th over while Fakhar Zaman was smartly caught by keeper Zane Green for five.

Rizwan reached his tenth half century with a pulled six off Wiese in the 19th over before hitting four boundaries and a six to take 22 off JJ Smit’s final over.

Rizwan’s knock included eight fours and four sixes.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ABU DHABI, NOV 2: Pakistan have posted a target of 190 runs for Namibia in the 31st fixture of the T20 World Cup 2021 at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The stubborn opening duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan delivered yet again on a difficult Abu Dhabi wicket, sharing their fifth century stand to help Pakistan recover from a slow start and post a target of 190 runs for Namibia to chase.

On a pace-friendly wicket, Namibian pacers had Babar and Rizwan on the back foot early on but the pair masterfully absorbed that early pressure before systematically upping the ante and producing 113 runs for the opening wicket.

Babar departed after contributing 70 off 49 balls while Rizwan continued and batted through the innings, finishing with an unbeaten 79 off 50 balls.

Somewhere in between , out-of-form Mohammad Hafeez appeared and played a cameo of 32 from just16 deliveries.

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Courtesy DAWN NEWS

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ABU DHABI, NOV 2: Pakistan will look to extend their unbeaten streak in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as they take on Namibia in their fourth encounter of the tournament at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (today).

The Men-in-Green have defeated India, New Zealand, and Afghanistan in their first three contests of the World Cup campaign. Courtesy of their three successive wins, they are on the top of Group 2 with six points and will officially qualify for the semi-finals if they beat Namibia today.

Namibia were impressive in the Group Stage as they had upset Ireland to qualify for the Super 12s round. However, in the final round of the event, Namibia have managed to win only their fixture against Scotland so far by four wickets and they were seen wilting in the 62-run defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday.

Namibian batters haven’t been able to score against the big boys and the team is heavily dependent on the likes of David Wiese, who has previously represented South Africa, to score runs and also pick key wickets in their games.

The 36-year-old all-rounder was a part of Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which might have helped him learn the strengths and weaknesses of Pakistan’s current World Cup squad and he can exploit them in the contest.

Other than that, the left-arm fast bowler Ruben Trumpelmann has been great with the new ball. He has taken 10 wickets in seven T20Is played this year with an economy rate of 6.65.

Furthermore, Namibian bowling all-rounder JJ Smit has been in impressive form as he has scored 421 runs in T20Is with a strike rate of 149.29; therefore, he can contribute with both the bat and ball.

Former World T20 champions have never played a T20I against Namibia but they will have a clear edge over their opponents with their vast experience.

Moreover, Pakistan have been in phenomenal touch in the ongoing campaign courtesy of their in-form opening duo of Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, who have scored 128 and 120 runs in the tournament, respectively.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Asif has been extremely effective in the lower middle-order where he has won Pakistan two matches with seven 6’s in just two innings against New Zealand and Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s fast bowling looks extremely strong with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf on song. They have picked 5 and 6 wickets, respectively, in the tournament so far.

However, the Green Shirts have not yet found the solution for their fragile middle-order as Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez are yet to fire.

Despite their heavy loss to Afghanistan, Namibia are highly unlikely to make any changes in their playing XI while Pakistan might also continue to play with their winning combination.

Playing XIs

Namibia (probable)

Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), Zane Green (wk), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz.

Pakistan (probable)

Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez/Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali/Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

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• Yusuf said the world needed to coordinate and constructively engage with the present Afghan government to avert a humanitarian crisis

ISLAMABAD, NOV 2: National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said on Tuesday that Western countries may have the luxury to disengage from Afghanistan but Pakistan did not have that option.

The NSA was addressing a news conference in Islamabad after Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a Protocol on the Establishment of Joint Security Commission that was followed by the inaugural session of the commission.

During his address, the NSA said that Pakistan was criticised sometimes for being proactive in promoting engagement with Afghanistan. Explaining the rationale behind the stance, Yusuf said: "It may be a luxury for the Western world sitting 10,000 miles away [to not bother about Afghanistan] but we do not have any option to disengage from Afghanistan."

Yusuf said the world needed to coordinate and constructively engage with the present Afghan government to avert a humanitarian crisis for the sake of the country's people — warning that a worse situation might develop if this was not done.

"This is not a matter of the Taliban or some other government but of the ordinary Afghan [citizens]."

He said that Afghanistan was in a state of war for four decades and its direct impact had been felt by Pakistan in lives lost, economic losses and rise in terrorism.

"We are the biggest victim of this [instability in Afghanistan] so when we talk about stability in Afghanistan then one [reason] is that it is the right of our Afghan brothers and sisters [...] but secondly it is also necessary for our national security that there is stability in Afghanistan and continuous peace is established.

"It is our right as Pakistan to remind the world about this," the NSA said.

He reiterated that engagement with Afghanistan was not a political matter for Pakistan but a "humanitarian one and a matter of our national security".

Yusuf said Uzbekistan shared the same stance with Pakistan on the war-torn country and there was a long discussion on the issue in today's meeting.

Details of the commission meeting

Regarding the details of the newly set up commission and what issues were discussed, Yusuf said it encompassed matters ranging from transnational crime, drug trafficking, cooperation against terrorism and mutual capacity building in areas such as disaster management.

He said the issues would be further developed in the form of working groups and previous existing agreements would also be "revitalised" and taken forward in the same way.

The NSA lamented that Pakistan had perhaps not benefitted from its geographical position in the past as it should have but now under the government's geo-economic paradigm, the process of connectivity via Pakistan was important.

He said the Central Asian states would be a "crucial element" in the future for fulfilling Pakistan's geo-economic vision, adding that Uzbekistan, in particular, had a "critical role" to play.

A press release issued by the National Security Division said that Yusuf met with Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan Lieutenant General Victor Makhmudov who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan.

Regarding the signed protocol, the press release said that it "covered wide-ranging security related [to] matters of mutual interest and established [a] coordination mechanism between Pakistan's National Security Division and the Security Council of Uzbekistan".

"During the inaugural session, both sides discussed various aspects of the newly formed joint commission and the way forward for making the commission effective and mutually beneficial," the press release reads.

Yusuf said Central Asia was a priority for Pakistan since tapping into the region would open up access and allow it to benefit from the bloc's markets and energy reserves.

Regional obstacles to peace

Questioned on what hurdles Pakistan was facing in the region to achieve peace and progress, the NSA said: "I think the region's obstacles are in front of you, there is no need for debate on this. On one hand is India [...] unfortunately [because of] the government behaviour and ideology there, I don't see how this [peace] process will move forward — not just for Pakistan but the region."

He said all regions needed to be concerned if a major country started going down a similar path as India.

"The world has unfortunately kept its eyes closed and isn't talking to India as it should."

The NSA also pointed out an "opportunity" instead of an obstacle, saying that if peace was established in Afghanistan then it could become a major hub as a corridor of connectivity.

The NSA was also questioned about the comments of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority czar Khalid Mansoor who last month alleged that the United States was trying to derail the project.

Yusuf said he had talked to Mansoor himself on the matter and "we confirmed that he was quoted completely out of context."

He said that he had a "clear stance" that the world would do what it wanted but Pakistan needed to ensure that its targets were met, any weaknesses were removed and strengths were further worked upon.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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• Pakistani students are the biggest recipients of Indonesian scholarships: Adam Mulawarman Tugio  

• Panelists mentioned that Pakistan provides the ASEAN regional states the shortest route to global sea trade

RAWALPINDI, NOV 2: Young Scholar Discussion on the topic “Pakistan-Indonesia Bilateral Ties: Exploring Untapped Potentials” was jointly organized by Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad and The Embassy of Indonesia, Pakistan at Rawalpindi.

Adam Mulawarman Tugio, Ambassador of Indonesia to Pakistan in his Keynote address stated that this debate will open up new avenues for the students of Indonesia and Pakistan. 

The main aim of such discussions is to provide exposure to the students that will enhance their communication, analytical and critical skills.

Ambassador of Indonesia also stated that such initiatives alleviate bilateral relations between the two countries and boosts people to people contact. He further stated that Pakistani students are the biggest recipients of Indonesian scholarships.  

Ambassador of Indonesia appreciated the efforts of CGSS in organizing activities for the students for the enhancement of their soft and communication skills. 

Ambassador stated that Pakistan and Indonesia should collaborate more at Think Tank level. There are several prospects for collaboration at academic and institutional level.

Adam Tugio also stated that this event can be considered as an exercise where the youth can provide their input on how both the countries can further cement their bilateral relations.

Brig. Abid Hussain Bhutta (Retd), Member Board of Experts CGSS in his address stated that Pakistan and Indonesia have tremendous potential which have grown with the passage of time. 

Pakistan and Indonesia have enhanced their cooperation and have become strength of each other. He further stated that people to people contact is the foundation of strength of relations between two countries.

The discussion was based on three main themes which were

•             Pakistan and Indonesia: Ideas for Strengthening Bilateral Ties

•           Using Media as a Tool for Public Diplomacy: Case Study of Pakistan and Indonesia

•             Pakistan-ASEAN: Shared Future and Way Forward.

Students of Bachelors level from Indonesia and Pakistan participated and shared their analysis with the audience. During the discussion, young scholars mentioned that Pakistan and Indonesia’s bilateral relations are deeply rooted in mutual respect and support at regional and global level. 

Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Indonesia the foundation of which was laid by late President Sukarno and his contemporary leadership in Pakistan including Quaid-e-Azam. Late President Sukarno provided unprecedented support to Pakistan in the past. 

Discussing Pakistan-ASEAN Relations, panelists mentioned that Pakistan provides the ASEAN regional states the shortest route to global sea trade. Pakistan and ASEAN agreed to cover cooperation in many areas including trade; industry; investment; environment; science and technology; drugs and narcotics; tourism and human resources development.

Young scholars also discussed that bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When states recognize one another as sovereign states and agree to diplomatic relations, they create a bilateral relationship.

Public diplomacy is no longer defined as intergovernmental diplomacy, but can become P2P or people to people because the implementers and targets of public diplomacy can become public itself. 

It was also discussed that ASEAN’s success as a regional organization and East Asia’s undisputed economic potential have long been recognized, with states from different parts of the world wishing to strengthen their engagement with ASEAN. Pakistan is no exception. In line with Pakistan’s “Vision East Asia” policy, Pakistan has worked tirelessly to forge a closer partnership with ASEAN.

The debate was moderated and supervised by Laraib Fatima Hassan, Communication & Coordination Executive, CGSS, and Mr. Boy Dharmawan, Minister Counsellor/Political Function, The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Islamabad. The event was attended by 80 participants.

Following young scholars from Pakistan and Indonesia participated:

a.            Fina Farhani

b.            Tata Auniyrahman

c.             AcyntyaPararsa

d.            Fuji Vikriansyah

e.            IhzaKaustar

f.             Naufal Laudza

g.            Zohra Asif, International Islamic University, Islamabad

h.            Aneesa Abid, Bahria University, Islamabad

i.          KainatSaif , Student of Law at  International Islamic University, Islamabad

j.             Ehsan Khan, Punjab University, Lahore

k.            Sumayya Khan, Bahria University, Islamabad

l.              Haleema Asad, Bahria University, Islamabad

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