Pakistani Catholics hold vigils, praise Pope Francis for raising voice for Gaza

ISLAMABAD: Peshawar Zalmi continued their impressive run of form on Monday by beating Multan Sultans by seven wickets at their home ground, effectively keeping their hopes of qualifying for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs stage alive. 

The Sultans batted first at their home turf but were unable to impress, losing a flurry of wickets as Zalmi bowlers kept on taking breakthroughs at regular intervals. The only signs of resistance came from Shai Hope, who top-scored for the Sultans with 23 runs while middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir made 22. 

Zalmi’s Ahmad Daniyal was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 3/17 from four overs while Luke Wood and Maaz Sadaqat picked two wickets each to ensure the Sultans were bowled out for 108 runs in 19.1 overs. 

“In the 25th match of Pakistan Super League, Peshawar Zalmi defeated Multan Sultans by seven wickets in Multan last night,” Radio Pakistan reported. 

Zalmi chased the total in 13 overs with seven wickets to spare. Explosive opening batter Saim Ayub scored 49 runs from 33 balls while Max Bryant remained unbeaten on 38 from 20 balls. 

Zalmi captain Babar Azam scored 8 runs from 13 balls while Mitchell Owen scored only one run from two balls. For the Sultans, Shahid Aziz returned figures of 2/17 from three overs while David Willey finished with 1/9 from his single over. 

The “Yellow Storm” remain at number five on the PSL points table with four wins from a total of eight matches. The top four teams will qualify for the PSL playoffs. 

If Zalmi qualify for the playoffs, Azam’s team will remain the only one to qualify for every playoff since the edition began in 2016. 

Zalmi will next play Karachi Kings on Thursday before taking on former two-time PSL champions Lahore Qalandars on Friday. 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad has urged the UN Security Council to de-escalate Islamabad’s tensions with New Delhi, stating that dialogue is the “only way” to resolve issues between the nuclear-armed nations, state-run media reported on Tuesday. 

A special UN Security Council session to discuss surging tensions between Pakistan and India was convened in New York on Monday at Islamabad’s request. The meeting took place as fears of a military confrontation between India and Pakistan loom after ties deteriorated last month following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. 

India has accused Pakistan of backing the Apr. 22 attack which took place in Pahalgam, a tourist spot in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad has denied involvement and asked for evidence which New Delhi has so far not publicly shared. Both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, taken diplomatic measures against each other, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut. 

“Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council to take steps to de-escalate tensions in South Asia for global and regional peace,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

The state broadcaster said Ahmad told reporters after the session ended that India’s recent steps are a “threat to peace and stability in the region and dialogue is the only way to resolve issues.”

Ahmad informed Security Council members that Pakistan is ready to take part in any independent and neutral investigation into the Pahalgam attack, Radio Pakistan said. He also raised the issue of India suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance unilaterally. 

India suspended the 1960 World Bank-mediated treaty a day after the Pahalgam attack, saying the suspension would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” Pakistan has described the suspension of the treaty as an “act of war” and vowed to respond with full force to any attempts to divert or stop its water flow. 

The flare-up and exchanges of small arms fire between India and Pakistan across their de facto border in Kashmir has alarmed world and regional powers, who have called for restraint and urged the two neighbors to resolve the crisis through dialogue. Pakistan has assured foreign capitals and friendly nations that it would not be the first one to strike, according to officials.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday night, Radio Pakistan reported, to discuss Pakistan’s ongoing tensions with India. Guterres briefed Sharif on his outreach efforts for peace and stability in the region, expressing his commitment to remain engaged with all interlocutors on the issue.
Sharif appreciated the UN secretary-general’s continued engagement and outreach efforts and welcomed his call for de-escalation, the state-run media reported.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. They have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.