A Pakistani court has indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in a corruption case while he remains imprisoned, according to officials and his political party, reports AP The charges were read to Khan and Bibi in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, where both pleaded not guilty. The couple is accused of retaining and selling state gifts, including jewellery received during Khan's tenure, at a price below their market value. New cases have been filed against Imran Khan and his wife Pakistani law permits government officials and politicians to retain gifts received from foreign dignitaries while in office, provided they pay their market value and declare any earnings from their sale. Following their indictment, the case was adjourned until 18 December. This marks the second corruption case involving the couple. Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claim that all charges against them are politically motivated to ensure his continued imprisonment. Khan has been incarcerated for over a year following his conviction in a separate case in 2023. Pakistan ends lockdown after dispersing Imran Khan supporters Since his removal through a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, Khan has faced nearly 200 criminal cases.

Six Pakistani security personnel were killed, and seven others injured on Saturday during an armed assault on a Frontier Corps checkpoint in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials confirmed. The attack occurred in Bagam, located 200 kilometers south of Peshawar, according to local official Saleem Khan. The wounded were transported to a military hospital, while no group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. This region has seen significant unrest in recent weeks, with at least 130 fatalities reported during sectarian clashes between Sunni and Shiite communities. However, authorities clarified that Saturday's attack was unrelated to these clashes, as a ceasefire between the two groups remains in place. Read: Pakistan ends lockdown after dispersing Imran Khan supporters Broader Security ChallengesThis incident comes amid rising security challenges across Pakistan. Last month, separatist militants targeted a border post in Balochistan’s Kalat district, killing seven soldiers and injuring 15 others. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), known for targeting energy projects with foreign funding, has repeatedly launched deadly attacks against security forces, including a recent railway station bombing that killed 26 people. Read more: Imran Khan supporters breach lockdown in Pakistani capital, at least 6 people killed in violence The resurgence of militant violence underscores the ongoing instability in Pakistan's border provinces, as authorities face threats from both sectarian violence and insurgent groups. Source: With inputs from agencies

Pakistan has recalled fast bowler Mohammad Abbas for Test cricket after a three-year gap, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will focus solely on white-ball formats during the upcoming tour of South Africa. Abbas, who last played a Test in Jamaica in 2021, has been in top form, taking 31 wickets in five matches in a premier domestic four-day competition. Selection committee member Aaqib Javed explained that Afridi's exclusion from the Test squad is a strategic move to keep him fresh for the Champions Trophy. The Test squad's pace attack includes Naseem Shah, who missed recent home matches against England, alongside Khurram Shahzad and left-arm seamer Mir Hamza. Pakistan’s tour of South Africa begins next Tuesday with three T20 matches, followed by three ODIs and two Tests at Centurion and Cape Town. Javed, also serving as interim white-ball coach for the Zimbabwe tour, stated that the selectors followed a “horses for courses” policy to ensure balanced squads for the series. The ODI focus is to build momentum for the Champions Trophy, while the T20 series aims to integrate young talent with experienced players. Kingston Test: Bangladesh register historic 101-run win over West Indies Notable exclusions include off-spinner Sajid Khan, despite his impressive performance of 19 wickets in two Tests against England. Noman Ali, who claimed 20 wickets in the same series, was preferred due to the seam-friendly conditions expected in South Africa. Javed acknowledged the difficulty of dropping Sajid but emphasized Abbas’s expertise in such conditions. Key players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, and Salman Ali Agha were included in all three squads. Left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem retained his spot in the T20 and ODI squads after delivering a record-breaking five-wicket haul in Zimbabwe. In a first, Bangladesh book Youth World Cup Hockey place; beating Thailand 7-2 Squads: Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha. ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan. T20s: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.

Bangladesh Blind Cricket team finished runners-up in the Blind T20 World Cup' 2024 losing to hosts Pakistan by 10 wickets in the final at Multan Cricket Stadium in Pakistan on Tuesday. This is the first-ever Blind Cricket World Cup trophy for Pakistan in the 4th edition of the meet after,India clinching the title of the first three World Cup. Batting first, Bangladesh posted a total of 139 runs for the loss of 7 wickets with Arif Hussain contributing team's highest 54 runs off 52 balls hitting four fours. Besides, Mohammad Salman (31) and Ashiqur Rahman (22) were the other Bangladeshi batsmen reaching double figure Read: Zimbabwe all out for 57 as Pakistan takes unassailable 2-0 lead in T20 series Pakistan's bowler Babar Ali claimed two wickets while Mohammad Salman and Matiullah took one wicket each to restrict Bangladesh to a modest total. In reply, Pakistan blind team chased down the target scoring 142 runs without losing any wickets in just 11 overs. Opener Nisar Ali remained unbeaten with a stellar 72 runs off just 31 balls while Mohammad Safdar supported him making not out 47 runs off 33 balls. Their unbroken partnership saw Pakistan across the line, ensuring a dominant 10-wicket victory. This victory marks a historic achievement for Pakistan to lift the Blind T20 World Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history. The Blind World Cup, which introduced in 2012, had seen India's domination in last three editions as the Men in Blue winning all three three previous tournaments. This time holders India not participated in the Blind World Cup in Pakistan soil. The first edition played in India in 2012, India defeat Pakistan by 29 runs in the final. In the second edition in 2017, saw India triumph beating their neighbor India by 9 wickets and in the 3rd edition also held in India in 2022, India retained the trophy beating Bangladesh in the final.

Pakistan hopes it will get a fair deal on “equality” when the International Cricket Council holds a virtual meeting on Friday to finalize details for next year’s Champions Trophy. There’s an impasse for the eight-team, 50-over format tournament after India declined to tour Pakistan for the event, scheduled to be held from Feb. 19 to March 9. A decades-long tense political situation between the two south Asian countries hasn’t see India playing international cricket in Pakistan since 2008 when it competed in Asia Cup. Both nations have competed in ICC tournaments with Pakistan touring India last year for the 50-overs World Cup. “I promise we’ll do what is best for Pakistan cricket,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said in Lahore. “We’re still clear in our stance that it’s not acceptable that we play cricket in India, and they don’t play cricket here. Whatever will happen, will happen on the basis of equality. We’ve told the ICC very clearly, and what happens next we’ll let you know.” The ICC board could decide the issue in a vote among members. “Whatever we do, we will make sure the best outcome for Pakistan is achieved,” Naqvi said. “But I repeat, and I am sure you know what I mean, it’s not possible that Pakistan play in India, and they don’t come here.” Earlier this month, the ICC told the PCB that the Board of Control for Cricket in India had informed the game’s governing body it will not tour Pakistan for the event. The PCB sent an email, asking the ICC reasons behind India’s refusal. 13-year-old cricketer Suryavanshi can become India's latest T20 batting sensation Naqvi said he’s been in “constant touch” with the ICC chairman Greg Barckley, but didn’t say whether he got the answers from the game’s governing body as to why India was not willing to tour Pakistan. Naqvi, who is also the interior minister in the Pakistan government, said that whatever decision the ICC makes on Friday, he will go to his government for the final approval. Pakistan has spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of three stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi — the three venues chosen for the Champions Trophy. Naqvi said he hoped the renovation of three stadiums will be completed well in time to host the event.  

Supporters seeking the release of imprisoned Pakistani former premier Imran Khan on Tuesday broke through a ring of shipping containers locking down the capital Islamabad, battled police, and ignored a government threat to respond with gunfire. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds and at least one person has died in clashes. Scores more have been injured, including journalists who were attacked by Khan supporters. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for The Associated Press and broke his camera. He sustained head injuries and was being treated in a hospital. Thousands of Imran Khan supporters arrested ahead of Islamabad rally Shortly after midnight, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had threatened protesters that police would respond with live fire if protesters fired weapons at them. “If they again fire bullets, the bullet will be responded with the bullet.” he said. Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated. Authorities say only courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He has been imprisoned since his first conviction in a graft case, in August 2023, and has been sentenced in several cases. Khan’s supporters were around 10 km (6.2 miles) from their destination, the city’s Red Zone that houses key government buildings. Naqvi said Khan's party rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. In a bid to foil the protest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country. On Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All educational institutions remain closed. Mobile internet services and messaging platforms are experiencing severe disruption in the capital. The PTI relies heavily on social media to demand his release and uses messaging platforms like WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The violence comes during an official visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Pakistan Sunday suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns” as supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan geared up for a protest in the capital. The government and Interior Ministry posted the announcement on social media platform X, which is banned in Pakistan. They did not specify the areas, nor did they say how long the suspension would be in place. “Internet and mobile services will continue to operate as usual in the rest of the country,” the posts said. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Khan has been in prison for more than a year and has over 150 criminal cases against him. But he remains popular and his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated. His supporters rely heavily on social media to demand his release and use messaging platforms like WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. Pakistan has already sealed off the capital Islamabad with shipping containers and shut down major roads and highways connecting the city with PTI strongholds in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan seals off capital ahead of Imran Khan supporters’ rally The government is imposing social media platform bans and targeting VPN services, according to monitoring service Netblocks. On Sunday, Internet-access advocacy group, Netblocks said live metrics showed WhatsApp backends are restricted in Pakistan, affecting media sharing on the app. Last month, authorities suspended the cellphone service in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to thwart a pro-Khan rally. The shutdown disrupted communications and affected everyday services such as banking, ride-hailing and food delivery.  

A Pakistani court granted bail Wednesday to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a graft case, his lawyer said. But with a slew of other charges pending against him, the opposition leader is staying in prison. Still, the order by a superior court in the capital, Islamabad, was a boost for Khan in the case in which he is accused, along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, of keeping and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, has denied the charge. The hearings in the trial on the graft charges started in July and are still ongoing. Khan has so far been embroiled in over 150 cases and has been sentenced in several, including to three years, 10 years, 14 years and seven years to be served concurrently under Pakistani law. His convictions were later overturned in appeals but he cannot be freed due to other, pending cases against him. His lawyer, Salman Safdar said he remained confident Khan would be freed but experts say there are at least eight cases standing in the way of Khan's release on bail. Khan, who has been held in a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi for over a year, has maintained his innocence and has argued that the cases are an attempt to sideline him politically by keeping him out of the public area. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, has also been demanding his release. Khan’s supporters have called for a rally in Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release — despite a government ban on the gathering. A suicide car bombing at a security post in northwestern Pakistan has killed 12 troops Pakistan’s laws allow government officials and politicians to keep gifts given to them by foreign dignitaries, but they must correctly declare the market value of those gifts and declare any money they earned after selling them. Last month, Bibi was freed on bail in the same case but will have to appear in court for the hearings alongside her husband.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle at a security post in northwestern Pakistan, killing 12 members of the security forces and wounding several others, officials said Wednesday. The attack, one of the deadliest in recent months, happened Tuesday evening in Bannu, a district in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement. It said in the ensuing exchange of fire, six “khwarij” — a phrase which is used for Pakistani Taliban — were killed. “The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by own troops, which forced the khwarij to ram an explosive laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the post,” the statement said. It said the suicide attack led to collapse of a portion of a perimeter wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting in the “martyrdom" of 12 security forces. A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. Pakistan has witnessed a steady increase in violence since November 2022, when the Pakistani Taliban ended a monthslong cease-fire with the government in Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are a separate group but are allies of the Afghanistan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan emboldened the TTP, whose top leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan. In December 2023, a suicide bomber targeted a police station’s main gate in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in northwestern Pakistan, killing 23 troops. Tuesday's attack happened in Bannu while the country's political and military leadership was meeting in Islamabad to discuss how to respond to the surge in militant violence. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved a “comprehensive military operation” against separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, in southwestern Balochistan province. The order came following a Nov. 9 suicide attack by the group at a train station that killed 26 people in Quetta, the capital of the province. In recent months. violence has also surged in northwest Pakistan, where security forces often target TTP and the Gul Bahadur group. Abdullah Khan, a senior defense analyst and managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, said over 900 security forces have been killed in militant attacks in Pakistan since 2022, when TTP ended the cease-fire with the government. “TTP and other groups have expanded their operations, showing they are getting more recruits, money and weapons,” Khan said. He said there is a need for political stability in the country to defeat the insurgents. Pakistan has experienced a political crisis since 2022, when then-Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He was arrested and imprisoned in 2023. Since then, his supporters have been rallying to demand his release.

A suicide attack at a checkpoint killed four Pakistani security personnel and injured five in the country’s northwest on Saturday, police said. The bombing was carried out in a rickshaw in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police officer Amjad Khanand said, adding that the injured were in critical condition. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who operate out of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and target security personnel. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. In a separate incident, a remote-controlled bomb struck a military convoy in Tank district, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. No casualties were reported.