Posts Tagged ‘Karachi’
Written by admin on 14 November 2009
Karachi, Nov 14 – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is mulling to replace the current national team coach Intikhab Alam with former captain and coach Javed Miandad.
According to a source, most players are unhappy with Intikhab and the officials are considering to appoint Miandad after the Test series against New Zealand.
Miandad was PCB’s first choice as the Pakistan coach after chairman Ijaz Butt sacked Australian Geoff Lawson last October. However, at that time Miandad was unwilling to take the responsibility. He was later appointed the PCB’s director general.
The source said about eight-nine players complained about the attitude of captain Younis Khan and Intikhab when they met Butt last month after the Champions Trophy.
The players, including the seniors, were unhappy with Intikhab because they thought he always sided with Younis. Butt, however, decided to stick with Younis and Intikhab for the One-day series against New Zealand.
Following their 1-2 defeat against the Kiwis, Younis decided to take a break and senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf was named the captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand starting in Dunedin Nov 25.
The sources said the senior players of the Pakistan team are now pushing for a new coach for the series against Australia which begins with the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne later this year.
Miandad has emerged as a strong candidate for the post. Some influential members of the PCB’s governing board are backing Miandad and are expected to push for his case when Butt returns home from England next week.
Tags: Karachi
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Written by admin on 13 November 2009
Karachi, Nov 13 – Pakistani author Imtiaz Abro’s book ‘In a lighter vein’ – the first book on humour in Sindhi language after a gap of 15 years – has been released by the Matiari provincial government.
The societal characters such as grooms, brides, poets, writers, married men, artists and politicians drawn in the form of caricatures are reflective of Abro’s live diction.
His father, Shaukat Abro, was also a renowned literary icon.
Abro is a mathematics teacher. His inclination to the creative field got its orientation when he formed a group of young artists which would stage funny theatres in Hala, his home town, besides going to other places in Pakistan for his group’s performances in later years.
His writings and other works have a perfect semblance of idealism and tradition and, nevertheless, delineate the sensitive issues which have been largely affecting the Sindhis in Pakistani society.
Jan Khaskheli, a journalist who has reviewed Abro’s work, says the publication is part of an initiative undertaken by the Matiari government to promote folk literature, art and culture and appreciate the local writers.
He says, ‘The purpose of the government was to encourage writers whose work tended to go unpublished due to various reasons, while it was also thought that unbiased works, such as Abro’s, could strengthen literary traditions in the province.’
In what could be a great contribution from Abro’s work, the Sindhi intelligentsia believe that the political conflict distorting the Sufi tradition and characters can be tackled if Abro’s message is adhered to.
Abro’s writing should prove pathbreaking and lead to communal harmony which is dwindling day-by-day in the Pakistani society and, as is being claimed by many a book connoisseurs, should fill the vacuum.
Tags: Karachi
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Written by admin on 11 November 2009
Karachi, Nov 11 – Younis Khan vowed to make a successful return to Test cricket in Australia next month after pulling out of the tour of New Zealand starting from next week.
‘I want to tell my fans that I am not finished, I will come back. My country comes first, more than my family and more than myself,’ he said after asking the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to allow him to skip the three-match Test series against New Zealand. Pakistan is scheduled to leave for New Zealand Sunday.
The first Test of the series will get underway in Dunedin from Nov 25. Younis’ decision to miss the tour of New Zealand triggered speculations that he had fallen out with some of the senior players in the team during the ODI series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan crashed to a surprising 1-2 defeat in the series after winning the opening game quite comfortably. Sources said that Younis was unhappy with the lack of support from his team mates and that prompted him to step down.
Younis, however, rejected such reports and said that he has no grudges against any of his teammates.
‘I have taken this decision after giving it serious thoughts, since I am not in the best of form I need rest. I must also clarify that I don’t hold any grudges against anybody,’ he said.
Younis, who led Pakistan to a memorable title-winning triumph in the ICC World Twenty20 championship in England last June, found himself in trouble last month after his team lost to the Kiwis in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy.
His team was even accused of match-fixing by the chief of a parliamentary sports committee which later absolved Pakistan of any wrongdoing. But Younis was left fuming and resigned as captain. He withdrew his resignation after PCB chairman Ijaz Butt showed complete faith in his leadership and appointed him as captain till the 2011 World Cup subject to his fitness.
Tags: Karachi
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Written by admin on 11 November 2009
Karachi, Nov 11 – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Wednesday appointed senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf as the new captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand after Younis Khan made himself unavailable for the upcoming assignment.
‘Younis has requested the PCB for a break from international cricket and hence will skip the Test series against New Zealand,’ a PCB statement said. ‘Mohammad Yousuf has been named captain and Kamran Akmal as his deputy (for the series),’ it added.
Younis was under pressure after Pakistan’s 1-2 defeat in the three-match one-day series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi earlier this month. He scored just 22 runs in the three matches.
Pakistan also lost to New Zealand in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy in South Africa last month.
PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said Younis sought a break from cricket following the series defeat against New Zealand. He said that the PCB opted for the experienced Yousuf as captain for the series against New Zealand that will get underway later this month.
Yousuf, 35, is one of Pakistan cricket’s most prolific batsmen having scored 7,023 runs from 82 Tests and 9,543 runs from 278 one-dayers.
He was banned by the PCB after he switched to the rebel Indian cricket league in 2007 but was pardoned after he broke ties with the Twenty20 league earlier this year.
Yousuf said that he feels honoured. ‘It is a great honour for me to lead Pakistan once again after being away from my team for quite a long spell,’ said Yousuf.
‘I will try my best to keep the team united and get the best out of it in New Zealand where Pakistan will be playing a tough series,’ he said.
Pakistan are scheduled to leave for New Zealand from Dubai over the weekend after playing two back-to-back Twenty20 games against the Kiwis.
Tags: Karachi
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Written by admin on 11 November 2009
Karachi, Nov 11 – Fed up with First Information Reports (FIR) that are barely legible, a minister has ordered the police here to make the reports ‘readable’.
Sindh Minister for Law, Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, issued the instructions during a meeting at his office attended by Capital City Police Officer Waseem Ahmed, The News reported Wednesday.
Ahmed was asked to make FIRs ‘readable’ for public prosecutors.
The district public prosecutors drew attention towards the FIRs lodged by the police, which according to them were not readable and written in a haphazard manner.
They said that the police should be instructed to provide copies of FIRs that could be read easily.
Tags: Karachi
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Written by admin on 10 November 2009
Karachi, Nov 10 – Over 40 Hindu couples have got married at a mass wedding here. The event was organised by the Pakistan Hindu Council.
Council patron Ramesh Kumar told The News: ‘This is second mass wedding that we have organised. Last year, 20 couples were married at the Swami Narayan Temple. This year, we were told not to have more than 44 couples.’
The 41 couples were married for free at the flower decorated venue.
The brides were dressed in red saris and the grooms wore golden sherwanis. Some of the grooms carried traditional swords. Each couple was allowed 10 guests.
Mukesh Kumar, a groom, said: ‘I had decided a long time ago that I would get married at a blessed mahurat (auspicious time), which comes only once a year.’
His nervous bride, 19-year-old Rakhi, said that the mass wedding was a good way to dispense with all unnecessary and irrelevant expenditures that burden a family.
‘I am grateful and thankful to the council for helping us celebrate the biggest moment of our lives,’ she said.
Former chief justice of Pakistan, Rana Bhagwandas was present on the occasion.
Mangla Sharma, coordinator of the women’s wing of the council, said the cost for each couple’s wedding was approximately Rs.70,000.
Sharma said: ‘We paid for everything, including the dowry, which consists of bedroom sets, bridal dresses, and other appliances and utensils. Similarly, the couple did not have to spend a single rupee on food or decorations. We are happy that all the money was collected by the Hindu community and other individuals, and no financial support or help was sought from the government.’
Tags: Karachi
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