FARUKH SHEHZAD

Since its inception in October 2020, The Pakistan Daily has taken Pakistan’s digital media landscape by storm, becoming one of the most widely read newspapers in the country.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG held an exclusive conversation with The Pakistan Daily’s founder and editor, Hamza Azhar Salam to learn more about the platform.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Take us to the beginning of The Pakistan Daily. How did it start? 

Hamza Azhar Salam: I was already working as a reporter for Pakistan’s largest media network, Geo News/The News International in London when I had the idea to create my own news platform.

The spirit behind this idea was the fact that mainstream Pakistani news outlets weren’t focusing much on their digital presence whilst investing more efforts and capital into their television broadcasts.

This was in contrast to the content consumption habits of the 18-35 age bracket which was consuming more and more news via digital platforms and social media. I felt this was a perfect opportunity to cater to this ever-expanding market.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: How difficult was it to get funding for The Pakistan Daily?

Hamza Azhar Salam: It was extremely difficult since not many investors wanted to invest in a news outlet run by a 27-year-old. I had self-funded The Pakistan Daily initially but when costs started piling up, I realised that I couldn’t proceed alone. Most of my family and friends were sceptical too.

However, the founder of RemoteBase, Mr Qasim Asad Salam believed in The Pakistan Daily from Day 1 and bought 6% equity in the company against an investment. Mr Qasim Asad Salam’s investment enabled us to grow our platform significantly.

Now, investors regularly offer investments in the company however, our team has decided to carefully curate whoever we choose to work with.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Was it difficult to build a team given that you were and still are, a relatively young journalist? Were your credentials as a media owner questioned in the early days of The Pakistan Daily?

Hamza Azhar Salam: Initially it was tough building a team since I was based in London and was remotely working with correspondents in Pakistan.

However, I took the plunge and went back to Pakistan to properly build my team. My first big hire was Raja Furqan Ahmed, an extremely talented reporter who joined us as a junior correspondent but rose to the rank of News Editor in the organisation due to his extraordinary flair for Pakistan’s news market.

In our early days, many people didn’t take me seriously and didn’t believe that The Pakistan Daily could establish itself as a major player given the fact that I was young and relatively inexperienced.

Even though I had worked for various news outlets and written stories for outlets like the BBC and Haaretz, running a news organisation was a different ball game and I had to learn on the go. Fortunately for me, I was blessed with sincere mentors and a journalistic network that also supported me.

Another major hire was Asif Jutt, a senior photographer who is now The Pakistan Daily’s Bureau Chief in Lahore.

After Jutt became part of our team, other senior journalists followed including Qamar Zaman Bhatti who is the President of the Union of Journalists.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: The Pakistan Daily broke the news of the new DG ISI’s appointment including his name. How did you ensure that you got the news before any other outlet in Pakistan?

Hamza Azhar Salam: I can’t get into the details without compromising my sources but I can admit that I’ve been lucky in cultivating relationships in diverse quarters.

I’m also grateful to one of my sources, who went on the record for The Pakistan Daily, Mir Mohammad Ali Khan who publically confirmed my story.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: What’s the best interview you’ve done for The Pakistan Daily?

Hamza Azhar Salam: There’s so many to count! I loved interviewing Sardar Masood Khan who was the President of Azad Jammu & Kashmir at the time in Muzaffarabad.

Senator Mushahid Hussain has also been very kind in speaking to us. Speaking to him about the Asian Century at his Islamabad home on a sunny afternoon was an intellectually exhilarating experience! We have also interviewed Mohtarma Reham Khan multiple times who provides a very frank and candid analysis of Pakistan’s contemporary affairs.

Hussain Nawaz Sharif was also a thrill to interview since not many journalists have had access to him.

However, if I had to choose one, it would be interviewing Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines of the recent Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers in December 2021.

Very few Pakistani journalists have spoken to Muttaqi on camera and I consider myself very lucky for this opportunity.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Tell us about the threats you and your team have faced in the course of your work. 

Hamza Azhar Salam: We’ve been hounded by FIA Cyber Crime for a story on a private business. I was also issued significant threats to my person and we were sued for over 500 million rupees! Later on, we settled the matter using our lawyers.

A team member of ours has also been physically assaulted after meeting a source.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for many journalists in Pakistan but this is a risk we have to take. If we want to do something meaningful, we should be prepared for the costs that come with it.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Your critics suggest that The Pakistan Daily’s growth is in many ways, facilitated by Pakistan’s security establishment. Is there any truth to this?

Hamza Azhar Salam: I can’t deny that at critical moments, Pakistan’s state institutions have supported The Pakistan Daily but it doesn’t mean that our reporting has been compromised in any way.

In fact, many people consider us ‘anti establishment’ and some of our work is considered contrary to the interests of security institutions but we still publish it if we feel that there is a significant public interest to justify publication.

We must also understand that as news outlets, we have to interact with various forces. Sometimes they like our work, sometimes they threaten us.

What we try to do is maintain the right balance and always ensure that our reporting is substantiated with facts. The truth is a journalist’s best friend.

DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG: Would you like to give any advice to young journalists, particularly in Pakistan?

Hamza Azhar Salam: One can do a hundred insignificant stories which don’t make much of a difference or one really big story which shakes the power corridors.

Also, relationships are everything for a journalist. Agreeing with someone and trusting them are completely different things.

Many people who have fundamental disagreements with me still talk to me and give me inside scoops because they trust me and know that I will protect their identity and do justice to the story!

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LAHORE, FEB 27: It was a night to remember for Lahore fans as their beloved Qalandars erased the pain of years of failure to finally bag their maiden Pakistan Super League title by defeating favourites Multan Sultans in the final by 42 runs at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

After being set a target of 181, Multan’s run chase was going according to plan with their in-form duo of Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood finding runs with ease.

Things changed in the 4th over when Mohammad Hafeez bowled out Rizwan around the legs as wheels began to come off the Multan innings. Rizwan's departure opened up the floodgates as the defending champions kept on losing wickets at regular intervals, soon finding themselves 63 for 5.

This was when Tim David and Khushdil Shah showed some resistance and formed a 51-run partnership but after David disappeared in Shaheen's second spell starting in the 17th over, all hope was lost. In the end, Multan were skittled out for 138 as Lahore emerged the new champions.

Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez redeemed himself as he rescued Lahore’s fluttering innings from 25 for 3 to help them on their way to a sizable 180 for 5.

His 69 off 46 came after a lethargic 28 off 28 in the previous game – a win over Islamabad – that had done more harm than good.

The Professor’s rescue job was provided fireworks at the end by Lahore’s foreign imports, with Harry Brook smashing a 22-ball 41 and David Wiese an 8-ball 28.

Brook and Wiese’s work at the death deserves more elaboration as at the end of the 16th over, Lahore were languishing at 113-4 — long way away from the eventual 180 they managed. The final 24 balls went for an astonishing 67 runs and the final 12 for 40 runs as Wiese’s sledgehammer of a bat went to work again.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, FEB 27: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday held a telephonic conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and “underscored the importance of de-escalation”.

In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said that Qureshi “shared Pakistan’s perspective in detail, reiterating serious concern at the situation, underscoring the importance of de-escalation, and stressing the indispensability of diplomacy”.

Qureshi also noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his recent visit to Moscow, had regretted the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine and said that Pakistan had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict.

“[Qureshi] stressed that conflict was not in anyone’s interest and that developing countries were always hit the hardest economically in case of conflict. The foreign minister underlined Pakistan’s belief that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” the FO statement said.

FM Qureshi also discussed the evacuation of Pakistani citizens and students in Ukraine with his counterpart.

“He appreciated the role played by the Ukrainian authorities in the evacuation process and asked for continued facilitation and smooth border crossing at the earliest possible,” the FO said, adding that the two ministers agreed to remain in contact.

During the Moscow visit, PM Imran had conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he regretted the situation developing between Russia and Ukraine, adding that Islamabad had hoped that military conflict could be averted through a diplomatic solution.

A communiqué issued after the meeting between the two leaders stated that the prime minister stressed that conflict was not in anyone’s interest and that developing countries were always hardest hit economically in case of conflict. “He underlined Pakistan’s belief that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.”

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Courtesy Dawn News

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MOSCOW, FEB 27: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military command to put nuclear-armed forces on high alert on Sunday as Ukrainian fighters defending the city of Kharkiv said they had repelled an attack by invading Russian troops.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that “President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable and we have to continue to stem his actions in the strongest possible way”.

On the fourth day of the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two, the Ukrainian president's office said negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow would be held at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. They would meet without preconditions, it said.

The meeting is set to take place near Chernobyl — the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians, mainly women and children, were fleeing from the Russian assault into neighbouring countries.

The capital Kyiv was still in Ukrainian government hands, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rallying his people despite Russian shelling of civilian infrastructure.

But Putin, who has described the invasion as a “special military operation”, thrust an alarming new element into play on Sunday when he ordered Russia's deterrence forces — a reference to units which include nuclear arms — onto high alert.

He cited aggressive statements by Nato leaders and economic sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow.

“As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in the economic dimension — I mean the illegal sanctions that everyone knows about very well — but also the top officials of leading Nato countries allow themselves to make aggressive statements with regards to our country,” Putin said on state television.

Russian soldiers and armoured vehicles rolled into Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, and witnesses reported firing and explosions. But city authorities said Ukrainian fighters had repelled the attack.

“Control over Kharkiv is completely ours! The armed forces, the police, and the defence forces are working, and the city is being completely cleansed of the enemy,” regional Governor Oleh Sinegubov said.

Reuters was unable to immediately corroborate the information. Ukrainian forces were also holding off Russian troops advancing on Kyiv.

“We have withstood and are successfully repelling enemy attacks. The fighting goes on,” Zelenskiy said in a video message from the streets of Kyiv.

In other developments, Russian troops blew up a natural gas pipeline in Kharkiv before daybreak, a Ukrainian state agency said, sending a burning cloud up into the darkness.

Ukraine lodges case against Russia in The Hague

Ukraine also lodged a complaint against Russia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to get it to halt its invasion.

Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression," Zelensky declared in a tweet.

"We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week."

The ICJ, which is based in the Netherlands capital The Hague, does not have a mandate to bring criminal charges against individual Russian leaders behind the four-day-old invasion.

But it is the world's top court for resolving legal complaints between states over alleged breaches of international law. It is the supreme judicial institution of the United Nations.

Banking curbs on Russia

The US, European Union and the United Kingdom agreed to block “selected” Russian banks from the SWIFT global financial messaging system, which moves money around more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions worldwide, part of a new round of sanctions aiming to impose a severe cost on Moscow for the invasion.

They also agreed to impose ”restrictive measures” on Russia’s central bank.

It was unclear how much territory Russian forces had seized or to what extent their advance had been stalled. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said, “the speed of the Russian advance has temporarily slowed likely as a result of acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance.”

A senior US defence official said more than half the Russian combat power that was massed along Ukraine’s borders had entered the country and Moscow has had to commit more fuel supply and other support units inside Ukraine than originally anticipated.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal US assessments.

The curfew forcing everyone in Kyiv inside was set to last through Monday morning. The relative quiet of the capital was sporadically broken by gunfire.

Russian Army military vehicles drive along a street, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, in the town of Armyansk, Crimea on Feb 24, 2022. — Reuters

Fighting on the city’s outskirts suggested that small Russian units were trying to clear a path for the main forces. Small groups of Russian troops were reported inside Kyiv, but Britain and the US said the bulk of the forces were 30 kilometres from the city’s centre as of Saturday afternoon.

Russia claims its assault on Ukraine from the north, east and south is aimed only at military targets, but bridges, schools and residential neighbourhoods have been hit.

Ukraine’s health minister reported on Saturday that 198 people, including three children, had been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded during Europe’s largest land war since World War II. It was unclear whether those figures included both military and civilian casualties.

A missile struck a high-rise apartment building in Kyiv’s southwestern outskirts near one of the city’s two passenger airports, leaving a jagged hole of ravaged apartments over several floors. A rescue worker said six civilians were injured.

200 Russian soldiers captured

Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, said troops in Kyiv were fighting Russian “sabotage groups.” Ukraine says some 200 Russian soldiers have been captured and thousands killed.

Markarova said Ukraine was gathering evidence of shelling of residential areas, kindergartens and hospitals to submit to The Hague as possible crimes against humanity.

Zelenskyy reiterated his openness to talks with Russia in a video message, saying he welcomed an offer from Turkey and Azerbaijan to organize diplomatic efforts, which so far have faltered.

The Kremlin confirmed a phone call between Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev but gave no hint of restarting talks.

A day earlier, Zelenskyy offered to negotiate a key Russian demand: abandoning ambitions of joining Nato.

Putin sent troops into Ukraine after denying for weeks that he intended to do so, all the while building up a force of almost 200,000 troops along the countries’ borders.

He claims the West has failed to take seriously Russia’s security concerns about Nato, the Western military alliance that Ukraine aspires to join. But he has also expressed scorn about Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent state.

The effort was already coming at great cost to Ukraine, and apparently to Russian forces as well.

Ukrainian artillery fire destroyed a Russian train delivering diesel to troops heading toward Kyiv from the east, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister.

The country’s Infrastructure Ministry said a Russian missile was shot down early on Saturday as it headed for the dam of the sprawling reservoir that serves Kyiv.

The government also said a Russian convoy was destroyed. Video images showed soldiers inspecting burned-out vehicles after Ukraine’s 101st brigade reported destroying a column of two light vehicles, two trucks and a tank. The claim could not be verified.

Highways into Kyiv from the east were dotted with checkpoints manned by Ukrainian troops and young men in civilian clothes carrying automatic rifles. Low-flying planes patrolled the skies, though it was unclear if they were Russian or Ukrainian.

In addition to Kyiv, the Russian assault appeared to focus on Ukraine’s economically vital coastal areas, from near the Black Sea port of Odesa in the west to beyond the Azov Sea port of Mariupol in the east.

Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol guarded bridges and blocked people from the shoreline amid concerns the Russian navy could launch an assault from the sea.

“I don’t care anymore who wins and who doesn’t,” said Ruzanna Zubenko, whose large family was forced from their home outside Mariupol after it was badly damaged by shelling.

“The only important thing is for our children to be able to grow up smiling and not crying.”

Fighting also raged in two eastern territories controlled by pro-Russia separatists. Authorities in Donetsk said hot water supplies to the city of about 900,000 were suspended because of damage to the system by Ukrainian shelling.

Ukrainian president declines US offer

The US government urged Zelenskyy early on Saturday to evacuate Kyiv but he turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. Zelenskyy issued a defiant video recorded on a downtown street, saying he remained in the city.

Ukrainian servicemen walk by a damaged vehicle, at the site of fighting with Russian troops, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on Feb 26, 2022.

“We aren’t going to lay down weapons. We will protect the country,” he said. “Our weapon is our truth, and our truth is that it’s our land, our country, our children. And we will defend all of that.”

Hungary and Poland both opened their borders to Ukrainians.

Refugees arriving in the Hungarian border town of Zahony said men between the ages of 18 and 60 were not being allowed to leave Ukraine. “My son was not allowed to come. My heart is so sore, I’m shaking,” said Vilma Sugar, 68.

At Poland’s Medyka crossing, some said they had walked for 15 miles (35km) to reach the border.

“They didn’t have food, no tea, they were standing in the middle of a field, on the road, kids were freezing,” Iryna Wiklenko said as she waited on the Polish side for her grandchildren and daughter-in-law to make it across.

Officials in Kyiv urged residents to stay away from windows to avoid debris or bullets.

Shelves were sparsely stocked at grocery stores and pharmacies, and people worried how long food and medicine supplies might last.

The US and its allies have beefed up forces on Nato's eastern flank but so far have ruled out deploying troops to fight Russia. Instead, the US, the European Union and other countries have slapped wide-ranging sanctions on Russia, freezing the assets of businesses and individuals including Putin and his foreign minister.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, warned that Moscow could react by opting out of the last remaining nuclear arms pact, freezing Western assets and cutting diplomatic ties.

“There is no particular need in maintaining diplomatic relations,” Medvedev said. “We may look at each other in binoculars and gunsights.”

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Courtesy Dawn News

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Kyiv, FEB 27: Ukraine has taken Russia to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the country’s president said on Sunday. “Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. 

Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter.

“We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week,” he added.

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Courtesy Anews

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MOSCOW, FEB 27: Street fighting broke out in Ukraine’s second-largest city and Russian troops squeezed strategic ports in the country’s south on Sunday, advances that appeared to mark a new phase of Russia’s invasion following a wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities elsewhere in the country.

Following its gains on the ground, Russia sent a delegation to Belarus for peace talks with Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. Ukraine’s president suggested other locations, saying his country was unwilling to meet in Belarus because it served as a staging ground for the invasion.

Until Sunday, Russia’s troops had remained on the outskirts of Kharkiv, a city of 1.4 million about 20 kilometres south of the border with Russia, while other forces rolled past to press the offensive deeper into Ukraine and Ukrainian fighters put up determined resistance.

“We are fighting, fighting for our country, fighting for our freedom because we have the right to do that,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

“The past night was tough — more shelling, more bombing of residential areas and civilian infrastructure. There is not a single facility in the country that the occupiers wouldn’t consider as admissible targets.”

Videos posted on Ukrainian media and social networks showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and Russian troops roaming the city in small groups.

One video showed Ukrainian soldiers inspecting Russian light utility vehicles damaged by shelling and abandoned by Russian troops on a street.

Huge explosions lit up the sky early on Sunday near the capital, Kyiv, where terrified residents hunkered down in homes, underground garages and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale Russian assault.

But Ukrainians also volunteered en masse to help defend Kyiv and other cities, taking guns distributed by authorities and preparing firebombs to fight Russian forces.

Zelenskyy denounced Russia’s offensive as “state terrorism.” He said the attacks on Ukrainian cities should be investigated by an international war crimes tribunal and cost Russia its place as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

“Russia has taken the path of evil, and the world should come to depriving it of its UN Security Council seat,” he said.

Officials maintained a 39-hour curfew to keep people off the capital’s streets until Monday morning, complicating the task of assessing the intensity of the fighting.

Zelenskyy’s office said explosions were reported at Kyiv International Airport.

Flames billowed from an oil depot near an airbase in Vasylkiv, a city 37km south of Kyiv where there has been intense fighting, according to the mayor.

Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline to the east in Kharkiv, prompting the government to warn people to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze as protection from smoke, the president’s office said.

Meanwhile, Moscow also claimed today that its troops had “entirely” besieged the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and the city of Berdyansk in the southeast.

“Over the past 24 hours, the cities of Kherson and Berdyansk have been completely blocked by the Russian armed forces,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

More than 150,000 Ukrainians fled for Poland, Moldova and other neighbouring countries, and the United Nations warned the number could grow to four million if fighting escalates.

President Vladimir Putin hasn’t disclosed his ultimate plans, but Western officials claim he is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own, redrawing the map of Europe and reviving Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.

To aid Ukraine’s ability to hold out, the US pledged an additional $350 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, body armour and small arms.

Germany said it would send missiles and anti-tank weapons to the besieged country and that it would close its airspace to Russian planes.

The US, European Union and the United Kingdom agreed to block “selected” Russian banks from the SWIFT global financial messaging system, which moves money around more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions worldwide, part of a new round of sanctions aiming to impose a severe cost on Moscow for the invasion.

They also agreed to impose ”restrictive measures” on Russia’s central bank.

It was unclear how much territory Russian forces had seized or to what extent their advance had been stalled. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said “the speed of the Russian advance has temporarily slowed likely as a result of acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance.”

A senior US defence official said more than half the Russian combat power that was massed along Ukraine’s borders had entered the country and Moscow has had to commit more fuel supply and other support units inside Ukraine than originally anticipated.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal US assessments.

The curfew forcing everyone in Kyiv inside was set to last through Monday morning. The relative quiet of the capital was sporadically broken by gunfire.

Fighting on the city’s outskirts suggested that small Russian units were trying to clear a path for the main forces. Small groups of Russian troops were reported inside Kyiv, but Britain and the US said the bulk of the forces were 30 kilometres from the city’s centre as of Saturday afternoon.

Russia claims its assault on Ukraine from the north, east and south is aimed only at military targets, but bridges, schools and residential neighbourhoods have been hit.

Ukraine’s health minister reported on Saturday that 198 people, including three children, had been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded during Europe’s largest land war since World War II. It was unclear whether those figures included both military and civilian casualties.

A missile struck a high-rise apartment building in Kyiv’s southwestern outskirts near one of the city’s two passenger airports, leaving a jagged hole of ravaged apartments over several floors. A rescue worker said six civilians were injured.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, said troops in Kyiv were fighting Russian “sabotage groups.” Ukraine says some 200 Russian soldiers have been captured and thousands killed.

Markarova said Ukraine was gathering evidence of shelling of residential areas, kindergartens and hospitals to submit to The Hague as possible crimes against humanity.

Zelenskyy reiterated his openness to talks with Russia in a video message, saying he welcomed an offer from Turkey and Azerbaijan to organize diplomatic efforts, which so far have faltered.

The Kremlin confirmed a phone call between Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev but gave no hint of restarting talks.

A day earlier, Zelenskyy offered to negotiate a key Russian demand: abandoning ambitions of joining Nato.

Putin sent troops into Ukraine after denying for weeks that he intended to do so, all the while building up a force of almost 200,000 troops along the countries’ borders.

He claims the West has failed to take seriously Russia’s security concerns about Nato, the Western military alliance that Ukraine aspires to join. But he has also expressed scorn about Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent state.

The effort was already coming at great cost to Ukraine, and apparently to Russian forces as well.

Ukrainian artillery fire destroyed a Russian train delivering diesel to troops heading toward Kyiv from the east, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister.

The country’s Infrastructure Ministry said a Russian missile was shot down early Saturday as it headed for the dam of the sprawling reservoir that serves Kyiv.

The government also said a Russian convoy was destroyed. Video images showed soldiers inspecting burned-out vehicles after Ukraine’s 101st brigade reported destroying a column of two light vehicles, two trucks and a tank. The claim could not be verified.

Highways into Kyiv from the east were dotted with checkpoints manned by Ukrainian troops and young men in civilian clothes carrying automatic rifles. Low-flying planes patrolled the skies, though it was unclear if they were Russian or Ukrainian.

In addition to Kyiv, the Russian assault appeared to focus on Ukraine’s economically vital coastal areas, from near the Black Sea port of Odesa in the west to beyond the Azov Sea port of Mariupol in the east.

Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol guarded bridges and blocked people from the shoreline amid concerns the Russian navy could launch an assault from the sea.

“I don’t care anymore who wins and who doesn’t,” said Ruzanna Zubenko, whose large family was forced from their home outside Mariupol after it was badly damaged by shelling.

“The only important thing is for our children to be able to grow up smiling and not crying.”

Fighting also raged in two eastern territories controlled by pro-Russia separatists. Authorities in Donetsk said hot water supplies to the city of about 900,000 were suspended because of damage to the system by Ukrainian shelling.

The US government urged Zelenskyy early Saturday to evacuate Kyiv but he turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. Zelenskyy issued a defiant video recorded on a downtown street, saying he remained in the city.

“We aren’t going to lay down weapons. We will protect the country,” he said. “Our weapon is our truth, and our truth is that it’s our land, our country, our children. And we will defend all of that.”

Hungary and Poland both opened their borders to Ukrainians.

Refugees arriving in the Hungarian border town of Zahony said men between the ages of 18 and 60 were not being allowed to leave Ukraine.

“My son was not allowed to come. My heart is so sore, I’m shaking,” said Vilma Sugar, 68.

At Poland’s Medyka crossing, some said they had walked for 15 miles (35km) to reach the border.

“They didn’t have food, no tea, they were standing in the middle of a field, on the road, kids were freezing,” Iryna Wiklenko said as she waited on the Polish side for her grandchildren and daughter-in-law to make it across.

Officials in Kyiv urged residents to stay away from windows to avoid debris or bullets.

Shelves were sparsely stocked at grocery stores and pharmacies, and people worried how long food and medicine supplies might last.

The US and its allies have beefed up forces on Nato’s eastern flank but so far have ruled out deploying troops to fight Russia. Instead, the US, the European Union and other countries have slapped wide-ranging sanctions on Russia, freezing the assets of businesses and individuals including Putin and his foreign minister.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, warned that Moscow could react by opting out of the last remaining nuclear arms pact, freezing Western assets and cutting diplomatic ties.

“There is no particular need in maintaining diplomatic relations,” Medvedev said. “We may look at each other in binoculars and gunsights.”

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, FEB 27: Australia flew into Pakistan on Sunday for their first cricket tour in nearly a quarter of a century — and into a high-security bubble that will envelop them throughout their six-week stay.

Senior batsman Steve Smith posted a picture on Twitter of the 35-strong Australia tour party inside their charter flight’s cabin after it touched down in Islamabad. Local officials confirmed their arrival. Pakistan have struggled to attract visiting sides since a fatal terror attack on the visiting Sri Lanka team’s bus in 2009. Australia pulled out of a tour five years earlier after a suicide blast at a Lahore church.

They last played in Pakistan in 1998, winning the three-Test series 1-0 and blanking the hosts in the three one-day internationals.

Having been forced to play their home games abroad — mostly in the United Arab Emirates — Pakistan appeared to have reassured international cricket authorities last year with both New Zealand and England scheduled to tour.

But the Black Caps hastily departed in September just minutes before their first match was due to start, citing security fears, and England postponed tours by both their men’s and women’s teams soon after.

The decisions incensed Pakistan cricket authorities, who felt they had done everything possible to ensure safety and security.

They say they are again leaving nothing to chance, with nearly 4,000 police and military personnel guarding the team hotel in Islamabad and the cricket stadium in Rawalpindi.

‘Head of state-level’ protection

“The squad will be given ‘head of state-level security’,” a spokesman for the interior ministry told. “Such arrangements are only made for high-level foreign delegations, [and] the president and prime minister of Pakistan.”

Roads will be blocked off when the Australians make the 15-kilometre commute, with their team bus to be shadowed by army helicopters.

Snipers will be positioned on buildings surrounding the stadium, while nearby shops and offices have been ordered to close on match days, the interior ministry said.

Similar arrangements will be in place for matches in Karachi and Lahore.

The Australians will be confined to quarters for 24 hours after arrival for Covid tests, before intense training ahead of the first Test starting on March 4.

“We’ve got to a place where everyone hopping on the plane is comfortable with where it’s all sitting,” Australian skipper Pat Cummins said ahead of the team’s departure from Sydney.

“It’s been a really thorough body of work that the security and the logistics teams have worked through.”

More than half of Pakistan’s 220 million people were not even born the last time Australia toured — the median age is 22.8 — but stadiums are expected to be packed as the country emerges relatively unscathed from the Omicron stage of the Covid epidemic.

The teams will play three Tests, three one-day internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 match before the Australians depart on April 6.

Pakistan are due to host eight Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 Twenty20 internationals in the next 13 months.

Players feeling ‘incredibly safe’, says Cummins

Australian Test Captain Pat Cummins, while addressing a virtual news conference, said the players were feeling “incredibly safe” after arriving and raring to dish out their aggressive brand of cricket.

“We’ve been really well looked after by the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board).

“Upon arrival, there’s been lots of security. We were straight off the plane and straight to the hotel.

“We’ve got a pretty good set-up here and we’ll be confined to the hotel except for games and training.”

The 28-year-old ruled out any apprehensions among his teammates and said they were focused on the tour.

“It’s comforting and we’re really lucky to be surrounded by so many professionals,” Cummins said.

“There’s lots of things around which might be a little bit different to what we’re used to but we know it’s been taken care of so we can just really enjoy ourselves here …

“Pakistan is an incredible cricket nation. We feel lucky to get to come back here after a whole generation didn’t get the chance to play any cricket over here.”

Cummins oversaw Australia’s 4-1 Ashes romp against England in his first series in charge and the speedster was confident they could be as assertive against Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s side.

“I really hope so. I was really proud of how we performed throughout the Ashes summer back home in Australia, and now that’s the challenge to continue that and be just as relentless on an overseas tour.”

The tourists have roped in Pakistan-born former Australian international Fawad Ahmed as a spin bowling consultant to boost their preparation.

“He’s got a wealth of experience here and he knows the venues quite well and he’s always great fun for the group,” Cummins said.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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KARACHI, FEB 26: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is also the senior vice-chairperson of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), expressed the resolve on Saturday to take Prime Minister Imran Khan’s message to all parts of Sindh as the ruling party began its Ghotki-Karachi march.

The march, titled Haqooq-i-Sindh March, has been organised by the PTI to protest the alleged bad governance of the PPP government in the province.

Qureshi reached Ghotki today to commence the march, which would culminate in Karachi on March 6, according to the schedule shared by the PTI.

Addressing PTI supporters in the Kamoon Shaheed area of Ghotki, he said: “I am starting this journey today to introduce Imran Khan’s message, Imran Khan’s manifesto and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s manifesto in every district, every taluka and in every goth of Sindh.”

He said the time had arrived for the people of Sindh to free themselves from the shackles of slavery with which they had been bound for the past 15 years.

“It is now time … for you to set a new destination for yourself.”

Qureshi added that people who previously saw no political future Imran Khan were now witnessing him serving as the elected premier.

“They are seeing today that Punjab has adopted Imran Khan’s ideology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has adopted Imran Khan’s ideology, Imran Khan’s manifesto has been introduced in Azad Kashmir and Imran Khan’s philosophy has reached the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said, adding that it was now time to introduce the PTI, the prime minister and their manifesto in Sindh.

He said the people of Sindh were tired of the PPP government in the province that had deprived them of their rights.

Qureshi added that the people were now questioning PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and holding him accountable for depriving them of their rights.

“It is now time for the accountability of loot and plunder of the past 15 years,” he said.

Qureshi then asked the people whether they were prepared to join the PTI’s march and the “journey of change”, fight for their rights and come out in the field to introduce a new Sindh.

“Come, let’s move towards a new destination from Kamoon Shaheed,” he said, adding that the caravan would Karachi on March 6. “It will reach [Karachi] with Imran Khan’s message and then I will invite him, will [convey] to him that Sindh is prepared to welcome him.”

According to the schedule share by the PTI, the participants of the march will pass through Shikarpur, Kashmore and Jacobabad tomorrow (Sunday) and move towards Qambar-Shahdadkot on Feb 28. They will pass through Khairpur, Naushero Feroze and Nawabshah on March 1 and reach Sanghar and Mirpurkhas on March 2.

The march will pass through Umerkot, Tharparkar and Badin on March 3 and reach Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and Matiari on March 4.

In the final leg of the march, the participants will reach Hyderabad on March 5 and the march will culminate on March 6 in the provincial capital, Karachi.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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MOSCOW, FEB 26: The Kremlin on Saturday accused Ukraine of prolonging the military conflict by refusing to negotiate as Russia pressed on with its invasion of the pro-Western country.

“In connection with the expected negotiations, the Russian president yesterday afternoon ordered the suspension of the advance of the main forces of the Russian Federation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call.

“Since the Ukrainian side refused to negotiate, the advance of the Russian forces resumed this afternoon.”

On Friday, as Moscow’s forces approached Kyiv, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was ready to send a delegation for talks to Belarus, where Russia has stationed thousands of troops.

It is one of the places from where Ukraine says it is being attacked.

A few hours later, Putin called on the Ukrainian army to overthrow the country’s leadership whom he described as “terrorists” and “a gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly called for talks with the Russian leader during a weeks-long diplomatic push in which Western countries tried to deter Putin from launching an attack.

As Russian troops closed in on Kyiv on Friday, Zelensky issued a new statement urging talks.

“I would like to address the President of the Russian Federation once again. Fighting is going on all over Ukraine. Let’s sit down at the negotiating table to stop the deaths of people,” he said.

Ukraine said it was ready for talks including on neutral status regarding the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters on Friday.

“If talks are possible, they should be held. If in Moscow they say they want to hold talks, including on neutral status, we are not afraid of this,” he said via a text message. “We can talk about that as well.”

The Kremlin on Saturday also said that Russia had “seriously prepared” for the international sanctions, which it said it had “predicted”.

“Measures are being taken immediately to minimise damage to all sectors of our economy,” Peskov said.

Russia has been hit by a barrage of Western sanctions after Putin announced his operation in Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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Greece‘s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, saying Greece had favoured the harshest European Union sanctions against Russia after its attack and stood ready to provide assistance.

Greece’s health ministry is sending medicines and medical supplies to Ukraine, Mitsotakis’ office said.

Greece‘s embassy staff and its ambassador in Kyiv, who left the city on Friday by car on safety concerns, had safely passed the Moldavian border, the ambassador himself and foreign ministry officials said.

Consulates in Mariupol and Odessa will remain open to assist Greek citizens and expatriates, they added.

Russian forces pounded Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv with artillery and cruise missiles on Saturday for the third day running.

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Courtesy Anews

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