Air force chief says S-400 air defence systems took down most of the Pakistani planes; Pakistan rejects statement.
Air force chief says S-400 air defence systems took down most of the Pakistani planes; Pakistan rejects statement.
Manchester United Close to a Rasmus Hojlund Loan Transfer Manchester United and AC Milan in advanced discussions for Rasmus Hojlund’s loan deal. Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho remain in transfer limbo with clubs circling. Gianluigi Donnarumma linked with a potential move amidst goalkeeping concerns. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s backing could reshape the club’s narrative this season….
A tense phone call on the ceasefire between Pakistan and India became the basis for the current breakdown in relations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Trump on Wednesday imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock. The new import tax, set to come into place in three weeks, will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50pc — among the highest levied on any US trading partner.
While the rupture in US-India ties was abrupt, there have been strains in the relationship. Delhi has repeatedly rebutted Trump’s repeated statements that the US brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after four days of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. Trump also hosted Pakistan’s army chief at the White House in the weeks following the conflict.
The two leaders spoke over the phone at the insistence of Trump on the sidelines of June’s G7 summit in Canada, which Modi attended as a guest. The call lasted 35 minutes.
“PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said of the talk. “Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do,” he said.
Bloomberg reported today that “tensions came to a head” between the two leaders in the call with Trump’s repeated claiming of credit and India’s downplaying of the matter.
“Modi felt like he needed to set the record straight in the call after his aides discovered that Trump planned to host a lunch the following day at the White House for Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir,” the report cited officials in New Delhi familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to speak about confidential discussions.
“While India had no problem if Trump met Pakistan’s civilian leaders, hosting Munir was seen as giving legitimacy to a military that Modi’s government accuses of supporting militant groups, they said. Wary that Trump would look to orchestrate a meeting between Munir and Modi, the Indian leader turned down an invitation to stop by the White House on the way back from Canada, they said, adding that he was also committed to visiting Croatia,” the report said.
It added that since the phone call, “India saw a shift in tone from the White House after that phone call, according to the officials in New Delhi” despite the US not making a direct request for Modi to acknowledge Trump’s role.
“Once Trump began publicly attacking India, they added, it was clear the episode marked a turning point in the broader relationship,” the report said.
Modi said a day ago he would not compromise on the agriculture sector.
For New Delhi, one of the main sticking points in trade negotiations has been Washington’s demand to access India’s vast agricultural and dairy market. India has remained steadfast about its labour-intensive agricultural sector, unwilling to risk angering farmers, a powerful voting bloc.
“We will not compromise with the interests of our farmers, our dairy sector, our fishermen,” Modi said during a speech at a conference in New Delhi, his remarks widely seen as his first public response to the tariffs.
“I know I will have to pay a personal price for this, but I am ready for it,” he added, without giving further details.
In February, Trump said that he found a “special bond” with Modi when he visited Washington — complimenting Modi as being a “much tougher negotiator” than he was.
Successive US administrations have seen India — the world’s most populous nation and fifth-largest economy — as a key partner, with like-minded interests in the face of powerful China.
India and neighbouring China have long been intense rivals competing for strategic influence across South Asia.
Now, India is bracing for a bumpy ride, as the US is its largest trading partner, with New Delhi shipping goods worth $87.4 billion in 2024.
Two siblings were killed and their father injured in a road accident involving a dumper on Karachi’s Rashid Minhas Road near Lucky One Mall early Sunday, sparking mob violence and protests that disrupted traffic on key city routes, officials said.
In recent months, Karachi has witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data.
According to Central Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi said that around 3:15am, a dumper truck hit a motorcycle carrying a family, killing Mahnoor, 22, and her 14-year-old brother Ahmed Raza, and injuring their 48-year-old father, Shakir.
Following the incident, transporters staged a protest by blocking Rashid Minhas Road and the Superhighway near Sohrab Goth, causing traffic jams.
“A mob gathered and set fire to a total of seven dumpers on both sides of the road within the limits of Yusuf Plaza and Federal B Area police stations,” the SSP told Dawn.com.
“The police reached the spot to apprehended the driver and took the dumper in custody.”
The police cordoned off the area, set up diversions, and called fire tenders to put off the fire, Siddiqi said.
“Furthermore, police have arrested 14 suspects on charges of torching the dumpers, and more arrests are being made with the help of videos and technical evidence.”
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com the siblings were brought dead to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, while their father was injured. Quoting relatives, she said the deceased girl was to get married soon.
Dr Summaiya said police brought in two drivers with critical injuries after they were beaten by the mob. She said the alleged errant driver was critically injured but stable, while a driver of another burnt dumper was also in critical condition with head injuries.
Earlier this month, a high-speed trailer truck crashed in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA), injuring two people.
In July, a 59-year-old milk supplier was killed when a dumper ran over his motorcycle in Karachi’s Saudabad.
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A global roundup of some of last week’s events. Powered by WPeMatico
On a breezy Dubai February evening in 2016, in the sixth over of the first innings of a match between the Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, a young kid from Gujranwala ran in, gave it all and got his first-ever wicket in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Over that inaugural PSL season, Hasan Ali — now a household name — was the new kid on the block that barely anyone knew. However, that all changed once millions of eyeballs watched him give it his best in those opening encounters of the newly set-up premier T20 tournament.
Fast bowler Hasan Ali’s cricketing career coincides with the journey of the PSL as a league. He made his domestic debut in 2015, but it was the PSL which helped him hone his craft and, at the time of his international debut, he was more than ready for it.
Becoming the fastest to take 50 wickets for the Green Shirts in the ODI format — just a year into his international career — he was already the bowler of the tournament for an ICC event and had helped Pakistan win their first trophy in nearly eight years in the form of the Champions Trophy 2017.
From Hasan Ali in the first season to newcomer Fawad Ali this year, the Pakistan Super League continues to provide a much-needed springboard and safety net for young cricketers. Will it continue to do so going into its second decade?
Hasan credits a lot of those performances to the springboard that the PSL provided for him at the very start of his career.
“PSL was like a turning point for my career. If this league weren’t there, there is a possibility that I might have been limited to domestic cricket and would have made my international debut much later,” he tells Eos.
Throughout the years, as the fast bowler’s career went through ups and downs with injuries, PSL was a platform he used to return to the national fold.
This past 10th season, he made a comeback after an injury and went on to become the overall leading wicket-taker of the league.
FROM HASAN TO FAWAD
If Hasan was the fast bowler who made the most of the opportunity as an emerging player in the inaugural season of the PSL, Karachi’s Fawad Ali is the pacer who made waves in the recently concluded 10th season.
Hailing from the serene valleys of Swat, the right-arm pacer grew up playing tape ball cricket, like most young children do in the country. Like many blue-collar workers from that region do, he also went to Saudi Arabia and played cricket during his stay there.
Speaking about his journey to the PSL, Fawad relates how his mentors helped him bring him into the foray at the Kings. “Annu Bhai [Anwar Ali] has been pivotal to my journey, even guiding me on my diet plans and the latest fashion trends for haircuts!” Fawad says.
Those hard yards on the part of Fawad and his coaches culminated with him bowling the fastest ball of this season, clocked in at a brisk 150kph.
He also got to meet the cricketer he idolised growing up, Australian pacer Shaun Tait. “When I got to know that he would be coaching Karachi, I was really excited to get to learn first-hand from him. Now I’m on such friendly terms with him, that I pick his brains all the time for bowling tips.”
Fawad’s journey also brings to the fore one of the most important aspects of the PSL — the financial freedom that the league provides in a country where athletes struggle to make a living, having to rely on the benevolence of donors and sponsors in order to pursue their careers.
Being the eldest in his household, Fawad hopes to build a house for his family, adding, “I would feel really proud if I could provide some relief to my father and brother by contributing towards my household.”
The league is also a springboard for greater cricketing endeavours. “PSL has given me an opportunity to experience the pressures that are associated with international cricket,” says Fawad, “and I hope that I will be able to fulfil my dream of playing for Pakistan.”
THE FRANCHISE CONUNDRUM
The PSL turned 10 this year, and this year could bring about monumental changes in the league going into the second decade of its existence.
PSL X was nothing less than the extravaganza it was expected to be — although interrupted by a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, before the season completed with its usual furore. However, in terms of significance, the year is essentially just starting to take shape.
When the PCB sold the franchises for a whopping $93 million back in 2015, the ownership was not in perpetuity but for a 10-year term. These contracts are up for renewal this year and, while it is entirely possible that the teams might not end up changing ownership, according to franchise officials, the renewal is dependent on the following conditions:
If the present market value is less than what the franchises are paying currently, there is an automatic 25 per cent increase in the annual fee of these franchises in order to renew their contracts. However, if the new value is more than the existing amount the franchises are paying, the new amount would be the difference in aggregate plus the already determined 25pc bump.
Karachi Kings Team Director Haider Azhar has been involved in the league in various capacities since its inception. He was with Multan Sultans in various capacities as well, winning the championship with Multan in 2021.
Speaking to Eos on the changes expected for this year, Haider says, “This year is a crucial year for the PSL and has to be handled by the board with the sensitivity it deserves.”
Haider explains that current terms create a conundrum. If a franchise is successful in creating a strong brand with a good market value, come the time of renewal, this actually requires franchises to pay more to continue with ownership of their team.
“The overall model of the league needs to be looked at, as it penalises you for developing the brand,” he says.
Speaking on the inclusion of new teams, Haider says: “I’m not at all against new teams coming in. But even in that, you’ll have to see what models are there, because when ownership changes hands multiple times, it damages your product as well as confidence.”
UNDERSTANDING PSL’S RAISON D’ETRE
An example of the type of innovation that the board could turn to, to help expand the league further was the extra fund in this year’s edition that helped with the inclusion of marquee players like David Warner.
As discussions continue between the stakeholders, what must not be lost sight of is how PSL continues to provide a springboard for young cricketers and the opportunity for a stable income in the sport to its participants.
From Hasan Ali in the first season to newcomer Fawad Ali this year, the league continues to be an oasis for cricketers in a country where social mobility is a pipe dream for most and athletes in other sports suffer due to an absolute dearth of monetary support systems.
In light of international developments too, PSL acts like a haven for Pakistani cricketers. As more and more leagues have increased participation from Indian Premier League franchise owners, the number of Pakistani players getting picked for these leagues has shrunk.
As the PSL steps into the second decade of its existence, one thing is for certain — all the decision-makers have to ponder over what route the league will take going forward. There are plenty of external and internal challenges going forward.
The writer is a member of staff
Published in Dawn, EOS, August 10th, 2025
Header image: Lahore Qalandars Batter Sikandar Raza celebrates with his teammates after winning the PSL X final in Lahore on May 25. — X/PSL
