KARACHI: Four Pakistan police officers have been charged with corruption hours after one of the country’s top cricketers complained of having been shaken down for bribes during a recent road trip, officials said Tuesday.
Sohaib Maqsood, who played 29 one-day internationals and 26 Twenty20 matches for Pakistan until 2021, wrote on X that he had been stopped while driving from Karachi to Multan.
“Sindh police is so corrupt that they stop you after 50 km and ask for money or they threat you to go to the police station...,” he posted.
He said he paid 8,000 rupees (around $28) on his way to take part in a T20 match.
Later Tuesday, a statement from Sindh police said four police officers had been found to have been involved in the incident.
“Legal action has been initiated,” the statement said, adding that two police officials had been suspended for “negligence.”
Police officers in Pakistan have long been accused of corruption, and those in rural areas of the Sindh province have a particularly bad reputation.
International cricketers are usually treated as celebrities in Pakistan, but often conceal their identities in public.
Howzat! Pakistan cops arrested after shaking down star cricketer
https://arab.news/43pz3
Howzat! Pakistan cops arrested after shaking down star cricketer
- Sohaib Maqsood said he paid Rs8,000, or around $28, on his way to participate in a T20 match
- Cricketers are usually treated as celebrities in Pakistan, but usually conceal their identities in public
Minister says Pakistan State Oil to expand into renewable energy
- Pakistan’s largest fuel supplier’s plan signals a shift away from a fossil fuel-reliant energy mix
- Ali Pervaiz Malik calls advancing transition to clean energy central to government’s energy vision
KARACHI: Pakistan State Oil (PSO), the country’s largest fuel supplier, is preparing to diversify its operations into renewable energy and emerging sectors of the energy market, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said during a high-level visit to the company’s Karachi headquarters on Thursday.
The move signals a strategic shift in Pakistan’s state-owned energy sector as it seeks to modernize infrastructure, reduce emissions and align with global trends toward sustainability.
Malik’s visit, part of a broader government outreach to key industry stakeholders, comes amid the government’s continuing efforts to reform Pakistan’s fossil fuel-reliant energy mix and enhance long-term resilience.
“The government is fully committed to steering Pakistan’s energy sector toward greater resilience, sustainability and innovation,” Malik said during meetings with PSO leadership and board members. “Enhancing fuel quality, reducing emissions and advancing the transition to clean energy are central to this vision.”
During the visit, PSO’s top management briefed the minister on the company’s performance, supply chain stability and automation initiatives.
Officials also outlined plans to modernize PSO’s infrastructure and develop forward-looking strategies to enter the renewable energy space, though no specific projects were announced.
Malik praised PSO’s role in maintaining reliable fuel supplies nationwide and pledged the government’s full support in helping the company address operational challenges.
He emphasized that policy alignment and cross-sector coordination would be key to creating a more efficient and consumer-focused energy ecosystem.
The minister also met with representatives of the Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) and the Petroleum Dealers Association, where discussions focused on regulatory bottlenecks, profit margins and broader sectoral reforms.
He assured participants that their concerns would be addressed through structured engagement.
“In the best interest of the country, all stakeholders must collaborate with a shared commitment to progress,” Malik said. “Together, we can build a modern energy sector that meets the evolving needs of our nation.”
Pakistan has faced recurring energy crises in recent years, with high fuel import bills, inconsistent power supplies and delayed infrastructure upgrades straining the economy. While some private and semi-public entities have begun pivoting to renewables, PSO’s potential entry into the sector is expected to mark one of the first serious moves by a major state player.
During Tajikistan visit, Pakistan PM urges world to hold India accountable for ‘acts of war’
- Shehbaz Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe
- He will attend a glacier preservation conference in Tajikistan, present Pakistan’s stance on climate change
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged the international community to hold India accountable for what he described as “acts of war” earlier this month, saying the region could not afford New Delhi’s “irresponsible and unlawful actions.”
Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe, where the two leaders discussed regional security, economic ties and cooperation on climate issues.
His statement came just days after a military confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which saw the two countries exchange missile, drone and artillery fire between them.
Sharif arrived in Tajikistan’s capital on the final leg of a five-day regional diplomacy tour that earlier took him to Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan, as Islamabad seeks to reinforce strategic ties and shore up support following the South Asian standoff.
He was received in Dushanbe by Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda and later attended a bilateral meeting with President Rahmon at the Qasr-e-Millat.
“The Prime Minister underscored that our region could not afford India’s irresponsible and unlawful actions since 7 May 2025, which amounted to acts of war and violation the UN Charter and international law,” a statement released by his office said after the meeting. “The Prime Minister urged the international community to hold India accountable, reiterating that Pakistan desires peace, but will defend its sovereignty with full resolve if challenged.”
President Rahmon, expressing concern over the recent conflict, said he was “very worried” about the events of early May and praised Sharif’s leadership in helping restore peace and stability. He also called Pakistan a “trusted partner” and reaffirmed Tajikistan’s commitment to deepening cooperation across all sectors.
The two leaders reviewed progress under the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in 2024 and pledged to expand collaboration in trade, defense, education, technology and counterterrorism. They also agreed to accelerate work on the CASA-1000 energy project, a regional initiative to transmit surplus hydroelectric power from Central Asia to South Asia, which they termed a “pivotal initiative” for regional integration.
Sharif underscored Pakistan’s push for deeper connectivity with Central Asia through infrastructure and transit links, citing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a linchpin of that strategy. He also briefed the Tajik president on Pakistan’s role in regional peace efforts and acknowledged Tajikistan’s leadership in water diplomacy and glacier preservation.
The Pakistani prime minister is in Dushanbe to attend the International High-Level Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation, where he is expected to speak on the impact of climate change on Pakistan and call for stronger global cooperation on environmental issues.
Earlier this week, Sharif held talks in Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan, including a trilateral summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Lachin, where the three leaders pledged to deepen regional cooperation and transform fraternal ties into a strategic partnership.
Pakistani high court to hear Imran Khan’s appeal in Al-Qadir land bribe case on June 5
- Khan and his wife Bushra were sentenced four months ago, call the case politically motivated
- Authorities say they used Al-Qadir trust to receive land as a bribe from a real estate developer
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will take up the Al-Qadir Trust case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife on June 5, marking the first hearing since the couple was sentenced over four months ago, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said Thursday.
A Pakistani court sentenced Khan to 14 years and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to seven years in prison last January. The centers on allegations that they received land as a bribe from real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain through their charitable foundation, the Al-Qadir Trust.
The trust, founded in 2018 while Khan was still in office, is accused by authorities of being used as a front for illegal benefits.
The PTI has long maintained the case lacks merit and repeatedly requested the high court to hear their petition to suspend the convictions. This is the first time the IHC has scheduled proceedings since the lower court verdict in January, which was delayed at least three times before being delivered.
“Al-Qadir Trust case is scheduled for hearing on June 5,” the PTI said in a statement during the day.
The hearing will be conducted by a two-member IHC bench led by acting Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, according to the court’s cause list.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court earlier this week, said the party had met with the chief justice to press for the case to be listed.
“Release [of Khan and his wife] will take place once the case is heard,” Gohar told reporters. “We still hope the case will be heard on June 5.”
The Al-Qadir case stems from £190 million that the UK repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 after the Pakistani real estate tycoon settled a British investigation into suspected criminal assets.
Authorities allege that instead of depositing the funds in Pakistan’s national treasury, Khan’s government used the money to help Hussain pay court-imposed fines in a separate case related to land acquired illegally in Karachi at below-market rates.
Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 and is facing a slew of legal cases, says all charges against him are politically motivated.
He accuses Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s powerful military of orchestrating the crackdown to sideline him, a claim both Sharif and military officials deny.
Army chief calls water Pakistan’s ‘red line,’ rejects any deal on Kashmir
- Field Marshal Asim Munir addresses university academics at the inaugural Hilal Talks forum
- He urges them to pass on Pakistan’s story and help shape the character of future generations
KARACHI: Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Thursday called water his country’s “red line” and ruled out any deal on Kashmir during an address to university academics at the military’s inaugural Hilal Talks forum.
The forum is designed to engage Pakistan’s academic community on national and regional issues, where the army chief spoke just days after a military standoff with nuclear-armed India in which both sides resorted to missile, drone and artillery strikes.
Munir’s statement followed India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a World Bank-brokered agreement that has governed water-sharing between the two countries since 1960. Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan but ruled in parts, also remains a major flashpoint between both states.
“No deal on Kashmir is possible,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while addressing the forum. “We can never forget Kashmir.”
“Water is Pakistan’s red line,” he continued, “and we will never compromise on the basic right of 240 million Pakistanis.”
Munir said Pakistan would never accept India’s dominance, adding New Delhi had tried to suppress the Kashmir issue for decades but that was no longer possible.
The army chief spoke at the Army Auditorium in Rawalpindi where he was joined virtually by over 1,800 participants, including vice chancellors, senior faculty and students from across Pakistan.
Hilal Talks is a newly launched initiative aimed at fostering sustained dialogue between Pakistan’s military and its academic institutions, with a focus on national harmony.
Munir urged educators to serve as custodians of Pakistan’s story and builders of future generations.
“Teachers are Pakistan’s greatest asset,” he said. “Whatever I am today, it is because of my parents and my teachers.”
“You are the ones who must pass on Pakistan’s story to the next generation,” he added. “It is your responsibility to shape [students’] character.”
The army chief reiterated India was stoking unrest in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, saying, “The terrorist insurgents in Balochistan are a foreign-backed menace and have nothing to do with the local population.”
He said it was important for Pakistan to become a strong state where all institutions operate within their constitutional limits and without political, financial or personal interference.
“We must reject any narrative that seeks to weaken the state,” he added.
Pakistan eyes carbon market partnership with ADB to advance climate goals
- Carbon markets reduce emissions by letting countries buy and sell tradable ‘carbon credits’
- Pakistan introduced its first carbon market policy last year to drive a low-carbon transition
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Dr. Musadik Malik on Thursday met with a high-level Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation to explore potential collaboration on carbon markets as part of the country’s evolving climate strategy, said in an official statement.
The visiting team was led by Toru Kubo, ADB’s Senior Director for Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The discussions focused on leveraging carbon markets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and attract new streams of climate finance for sustainable development.
Carbon markets are trading systems that allow countries, companies or organizations to buy and sell carbon credits or permits representing the right to emit a specific amount of carbon dioxide. These markets create financial incentives for reducing emissions and investing in greener alternatives.
“Both sides agreed to formulate a comprehensive, mutually aligned climate change strategy, with a specific focus on carbon credit mobilization, climate innovation and outcomes-based project implementation,” the climate change ministry said in a statement.
The two sides also explored ways for Pakistan to strategically align its carbon finance agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to turn climate action into a driver of economic growth, it added.
On the occasion, Malik assured the ADB of full support in the strategy formulation, emphasizing that it should remain “impact-driven, transparent and results-oriented.”
Kubo highlighted ADB’s support for developing member countries, including Pakistan, by enhancing their carbon finance capabilities through mobilizing investments in low-carbon technologies, enabling them to access and benefit from global carbon markets.
The ministry said the meeting showed that climate action is now seen as a way to boost the economy, not just an environmental measure, with more countries paying attention to carbon markets.
Pakistan unveiled the country’s first National Carbon Market Policy in November 2024, saying that the government wanted to attract investments in green initiatives and transition toward a low-carbon economy.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change.
In 2022, devastating floods claimed about 1,700 lives and affected more than 33 million people, causing economic losses exceeding $30 billion.
Although international donors pledged over $9 billion to support Pakistan’s flood recovery, officials report that only a small portion of the promised funds were received by the country.
