Pakistan recall Babar Azam, Naseem Shah for T20s against South Africa, Sri Lanka
Pakistan recall Babar Azam, Naseem Shah for T20s against South Africa, Sri Lanka/node/2619918/pakistan
Pakistan recall Babar Azam, Naseem Shah for T20s against South Africa, Sri Lanka
Pakistan's Babar Azam celebrates after scoring fifty during the fourth day of the second test cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Oct. 23, 2025. (AP)
KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday named a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa and a tri-nation tournament with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, recalling star batter Babar Azam and fast bowler Naseem Shah after their absence from recent white-ball fixtures.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also announced a 16-member squad for the one-day internationals against South Africa and Sri Lanka next month. The two-matchups form part of Pakistan’s preparations ahead of next year’s ICC Champions Trophy, which the country is set to host.
“Abdul Samad, Babar Azam and Naseem Shah make a comeback to the side after missing out on previous events,” the PCB said in a statement. “Usman Tariq is the only uncapped player in the T20I squad.”
The three-match T20I series against South Africa will run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, followed by ODIs in Faisalabad from Nov. 4 to 8.
Pakistan will then host Sri Lanka for three ODIs in Rawalpindi from Nov. 11 to 15, before staging a T20I tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from Nov. 17 to 29.
In the ODI squad, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf and Haseebullah return to the side, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the 50-over team and Salman Ali Agha will captain the T20 outfit.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday proposed forming a joint working group with Qatar to expand cooperation in the agriculture sector and identify priority projects, according to state media, while offering to supply a range of food and livestock products to the Gulf country.
Agriculture accounts for about 19 percent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product, and the country has been seeking to raise its productivity and tap new export markets.
The proposal was made during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain and Qatari Ambassador Ali bin Mubarak Al Khater.
“The minister said Pakistan has vast potential to supply high-quality agricultural products, especially halal meat, fruits, vegetables, rice and livestock fodder,” Radio Pakistan said in a report.
“He suggested forming a joint working group in the agriculture sector to develop a formal framework for bilateral cooperation and identify priority projects,” it added.
Hussain also briefed the envoy on new agricultural products, including the production and export of camel milk powder, and invited Qatari investors to explore Pakistan’s farming and food-processing sectors.
He assured of government facilitation under the country’s pro-business policies.
The Qatari ambassador reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening business-to-business ties, according to the report.
He said Pakistan’s rich agricultural base and skilled workforce could play a key role in achieving Qatar’s Food Security Vision 2030.
The envoy also added that Qatar’s commerce minister would soon visit Islamabad to discuss new investment opportunities.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday praised Syria for holding its first parliamentary elections since the end of Bashar Assad’s rule in December, calling it a “significant step” in the political transition while condemning Israel’s continued military presence in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.
Syria held indirect voting on 140 parliamentary seats earlier this month. The elections, taking place under transitional governance, was viewed as vital to the political reconfiguration of the country, though voting in Kurdish-controlled and restive regions such as Suwayda faced delays and logistical challenges.
“We welcome the holding of parliamentary elections for the People’s Assembly of Syria on 5 October 2025 to elect 140 members, marking a significant step in the country’s political transition,” Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said during a UN Security Council briefing on the humanitarian and political situation in Syria.
“This reflects a move toward greater political engagement and the rebuilding of state institutions,” he added. “We also hope that regions which experienced delays due to security concerns will soon be able to hold elections, ensuring inclusive participation across the country.”
Jadoon also highlighted a recent agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the central government to integrate SDF units into Syria’s national army, describing it as a “positive and necessary contribution” to national cohesion and the restoration of unified state institutions.
The SDF, a Kurdish-led alliance, had maintained an uneasy truce with Damascus during the war, administering autonomous areas in the country’s northeast.
He urged the international community to ease sanctions on Syria to enable economic recovery, reconstruction, and reintegration, welcoming the United States and European Union’s decisions to lift multiple restrictive measures, as well as reconstruction efforts by Türkiye, Qatar and .
Condemning Israel’s “repeated and egregious” violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, Jadoon said Israeli forces were maintaining positions on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line.
The accord, brokered after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, established a UN-monitored buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
“Such actions are seriously undermining ongoing efforts to preserve Syria’s unity and stability,” Jadoon said, adding that any new security arrangements must have the consent of the concerned parties.
ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan’s key border crossings with Afghanistan remain closed for trade and traffic in the aftermath of border skirmishes between the two nations, residents of Islamabad were left worried on Wednesday at the steep increase in the prices of tomatoes.
Pakistan closed its key northwestern Torkham and southwestern Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan earlier this month, after skirmishes between the two countries’ forces heightened tensions.
Pakistan imports tomatoes and other perishable items from Afghanistan via the two border crossings. These imports have traditionally filled supply gaps when local production dips. As the border crossings remain closed, tomato prices have surged by more than 400 percent in recent days, reaching as high as Rs600 ($2.2) per kilogram in retail markets across the country.
“These have become too expensive. We cannot understand this,” Shan Messiah, a customer at Islamabad’s G-9 vegetable market, told Arab News as he shook his head in disbelief.
“Since they are used in every food, we are facing difficulties.”
Tomatoes lying on a cart in a market in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 22, 2025. (AN photo)
Mohammad Imran, a tomato seller in Islamabad’s fruit and vegetable market, explained how the supply crunch unfolded.
“Today’s rate is Rs400 [$1.42]. The supply from Afghanistan has stopped because the border is closed,” he said. “Now it’s coming from Iran, Sindh, and Quetta. Demand hasn’t decreased — people still buy the same amount — but supply is much less.”
Imran added that a week ago, tomatoes were selling for even higher prices, such as Rs560 [$1.99] or Rs600 per kilogram.
Nusrat Jehan, another customer, said she had just bought a kilogram of tomatoes for Rs400, which used to sell for much lower a few days earlier.
“Earlier, you know, the rates were a little low,” she said. “But due to the closure of borders, maybe that’s why [the prices have surged].”
People walk past tomato cart in a market in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 22, 2025. (AN photo)
Shapur Khan, a vegetable wholesaler, said the difference in the supply volume of tomatoes has been staggering since the border closed.
“In Pakistan there are less tomatoes and even the tomatoes we get from Iran are less,” Khan told Arab News.
He said Pakistan imported around 80 to 120 trucks of tomatoes daily from Afghanistan.
“Now, we are getting 10 to 15 trucks from Iran and the rest from Swat [in Pakistan] but it’s not enough,” he said.
Officials say the government is monitoring the situation and expects prices to stabilize soon.
Sajid Abbasi, Chairman of the Market Committee in Islamabad, said authorities were aware of the sudden spike in tomato prices and were taking measures to increase its supply.
“We are aware of the price fluctuations caused by the border closure,” Abbasi said. “Alternative supply routes are being strengthened, and we expect prices to normalize soon.”
ISLAMABAD: Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski will visit Pakistan today, Thursday, for a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, Pakistan’s foreign office said.
According to the foreign office, Sikorski is undertaking the visit at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. The foreign office said this would be the Polish official’s second visit to the country, who first visited Pakistan in 2011.
“During the visit, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will hold a one-on-one meeting as well as delegation-level talks with his Polish counterpart,” the foreign office said.
“The two sides are expected to discuss the full spectrum of bilateral relations.”
The visit reflects an attempt by both countries to enhance their diplomatic ties, which date back to 1962. Bilateral trade between Pakistan and Poland reached $922 million in 2023, with the former’s exports recorded at $794 million and imports at $128 million.
Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) has also been engaged in petroleum exploration and production in Pakistan since 1997.
Climate change, population growth can ‘derail’ Pakistan from becoming $3 trillion economy— finmin/node/2619875/pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday sounded alarm at Pakistan’s rising population and the disastrous climate change effects being suffered by the country, saying that these two reasons could prevent Pakistan from becoming a $3 trillion economy.
Pakistan’s population is over 241 million people, making it the sixth most populous country in the world. A lack of adequate infrastructure, health and educational opportunities in the country puts added stress on its public services, giving rise to unemployment and poverty.
The South Asian nation is also recognized among countries that are most affected by climate change worldwide. Unusually heavy monsoon rains in 2022 killed over 1,700 people and inflicted damages worth over $30 billion. Torrential rains and floods also killed over 1,000 people in Pakistan since late June this year, as authorities carry out surveys to determine the extent of the damage inflicted by the deadly rains.
“So when we say that we are a $411 billion economy that can be a $3 trillion economy, there are two reasons that can derail us,” Aurangzeb said during an interview with Geo News.
“One is climate change and the second is population. Population growth.”
The minister said that climate change was no longer “an academic discussion,” pointing out that people were suffering its effects in Pakistan. He highlighted the worsening smog situation in the eastern city of Lahore and the recent floods in Pakistan as evidence of the worsening impacts of climate change.
He said the government had estimated that the economy would grow at 4.2 percent before floods wreaked havoc in the country.
“There is no doubt now that at least 0.4-0.5 percent at least are going to be shaved off,” Aurangzeb said.
The minister said eighty percent of the damage inflicted by the recent floods had been suffered by the eastern Punjab province, where the agriculture sector, primarily the rice and cotton-producing regions, had been impacted.
Aurangzeb said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had tasked Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik to devise a 300-day plan to mitigate the effects of climate change.
When asked why certain multinationals like Proctor and Gamble and Microsoft were leaving Pakistan while others such as Shell plc., TotalEnergies SE and some pharmaceutical firms were divesting their shares in the country, the minister said global companies at times make their own “participation choices.”
“These global companies make decisions on their participation regarding which clients to stay with, which products to stay with and in which countries to remain,” Aurangzeb said.
The finance minister pointed out that while some multinationals had exited Pakistan, others had also started their operations in the country.
“You have seen in the energy sector that Aramco and Wafi [Energy] have arrived,” Aurangzeb said. “You can see there are some shifts also taking place, such as the West to East shift.”
