Qaddafi Stadium renovation nears completion ahead of next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The German Junior Hockey Team, world champions, arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for a four-match series, marking the return of international hockey to Pakistan after nearly a decade and a half, the government’s press department said in a statement. 

Pakistan marked the first international hockey match played in the country for seven years when Chinese played four matches here in what was dubbed as the ‘Friendship Series’.

Before that, Pakistan had last staged an international match in 2004 when it hosted the Champions Trophy in Lahore but after that foreign teams refused to play in the country due to security concerns.

Since the September 11 attacks in the United States, foreign teams have been reluctant to travel to Pakistan in many sports and the South Asian country was left completely isolated as a sporting venue after militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009.

“Under the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, this initiative aims to provide Pakistani junior players with international exposure and reestablish Pakistan as a hub for global hockey,” PID said about the four-math series between Pakistan and Germany.

“The series will feature one match in Islamabad and three in Lahore, promising a thrilling competition for fans.”

The two teams will face each other in Lahore on Mar. 6, 8 and 11 while one match will be played in Islamabad on Mar. 13.

“The series holds great significance for both teams as they prepare for the Hockey Junior World Cup being played 2025 in India,” state media reported. 

Field hockey, Pakistan’s national sport, once propelled the country to Olympic gold and global glory, but the game has waned in popularity and participation over the past two decades. Poor management, lack of infrastructure and the rise of cricket has contributed to the decline. The failure to adapt to modern demands, including fitness and artificial turfs, has further deepened the crisis.

According to the latest rankings released by the International Hockey Federation, Pakistan is ranked number 15 in the world in field hockey.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have arrested four “terrorists” in the southwestern Balochistan province who entered from Afghanistan, state-run media reported on Thursday, adding that they were planning to launch a major attack in the country. 

Pakistan has faced a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan since the Afghan Taliban seized Kabul in 2021. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government in Afghanistan of providing shelter to Pakistani Taliban militants, a charge Kabul denies.

The operation took place near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Toba Kakri area of the southwestern Balochistan province, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said. 
 
“The arrested terrorists confessed to planning a major terrorist attack,” Radio Pakistan reported. “In his confessional statement, one arrested terrorist said they entered Pakistan three days ago from Afghanistan.”

Citing security sources, the state-run media said weapons such as Kalashnikovs, hand grenades and other firearms were recovered from the “terrorists.”

“The security sources said the local population played a significant role in the success of this operation against the terrorists,” Radio Pakistan said. 
The report said that defense experts are of the view that the primary reason for the surge in “terrorism” in Pakistan is the presence of militant organizations that are “flourishing” on Afghan soil. 
“They said Afghanistan has become a haven for terrorists and immediate international action is needed,” the state broadcaster said. 
Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan deteriorated in 2023 after Islamabad launched a deportation drive against what it said were “undocumented” residents living in its country. The drive mostly affected hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, whom Islamabad blamed for a surge in suicide attacks in the country. 
Pakistan has vowed to crack down on all militants operating in the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday acknowledged the role Pakistani security forces played in arresting senior Daesh commander Mohammad Sharifullah from Afghanistan and handing him over to the US. 
Sharifullah allegedly helped carry out the 2021 suicide bombing outside Kabul airport during the chaotic US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The blast at the Abbey Gate killed at least 170 Afghans as well as 13 US troops who were securing the airport’s perimeter.
The Pakistani prime minister confirmed Sharifullah was an Afghan national, saying that he was arrested after a successful operation in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.