KARACHI: Left-handed opener Imamul Haq silenced his critics on Wednesday after he scored a century on his debut to help Pakistan ease past the target of 209 runs with seven wickets remaining, and left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir rates it as a dream start to international cricket.

Imam, the nephew of National Selection Committee head Inzamamul Haq, was asked to fill in for right-handed opener Azhar Ali, who was rested for the Sri Lanka ODIs.

And when Imam got his chance on Wednesday in the third ODI, replacing Ahmed Shehzad at the top, he made sure his five boundaries and two sixes helped him reach the 100-run mark.

Five-star Hasan leads Pakistan to series win over Sri Lanka

“A sportsman’s answer to his critics is to deliver on the pitch and that is what Imam did,” Tanvir told The Express Tribune. “He made his critics praise him.”

Tanvir believes Imam handled himself really well on his debut. “A player is under a lot of pressure in his debut match,” he said. “All his efforts are focused towards doing well in the debut match and the way Imam held his nerves was great.”

Sohail, who made his ODI debut against South Africa and was asked to bowl the first over, said a team’s trust in its player’s ability is greatly tested on one’s debut.

“Getting a chance to lead the bowling attack is one of the luckiest things and it shows how much the team trusts you. At the same time, you are burdened with the responsibility to do well. I gave three runs in my first over on my debut, and Imam too made an outstanding effort and scored a century,” he said.

Tanvir said Imam was supported well by his batting partners. “Imam had luck on his side and he was well supported by his teammates,” he explained. “Fakhar, Shehzad, Faheem Ashraf and Usman Shinwari, they all play for the same department in domestic cricket. Playing with cricketers you play throughout the year with helps build better coordination on the field. The way Fakhar and Imam opened for Pakistan was incredible, but in the end it was Imam’s talent which helped him.”

‘Hasan is a consistent performer’

Hasan, who bagged a five-for in the third ODI to demolish Sri Lanka batting and became the fastest Pakistani to 50 ODI wickets, was also praised by Tanvir for his consistency.

“From Champions Trophy till now, he has been performing consistently and gained international recognition. You get national recognition quite often, but when you get international recognition that is when your real career begins,” he said.

Hafeez reported again for suspect bowling action

Sohail concluded that Hasan has a chance to concentrate more on developing his game since he wouldn’t have to worry about his place in the team.

“The appreciation raises the morale of the player and pushes him to aim for more,” he said. “Now, after so many great performances, he has to concentrate on improving his game further rather than worrying about his place in the team. He is a wicket-taker and also restricts other teams from scoring runs. He is being used in the best possible way by captain Sarfraz Ahmed and will help Pakistan whitewash Sri Lanka.”

The post Imamul Haq answered critics with his bat: Sohail Tanvir appeared first on The Express Tribune.

Source: Tribune News | Imamul Haq answered critics with his bat: Sohail Tanvir

ISTANBUL: Turkish police have detained businessman and leading civil society activist Osman Kavala, reports and his lawyer said Thursday, raising fresh alarm over freedom of expression under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Kavala was detained at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport after flying in from the southern city of Gaziantep, the Dogan news agency said.

His lawyer Ferat Cagil told AFP that Kavala was apprehended immediately after the flight landed late Wednesday and has been remanded in custody for seven days ahead of a court hearing.

Cagil said it was unclear what his client was accused of. “The case is confidential. Whatever is said would be speculative now. We will find out when he testifies,” he said.

Turkey PM says 161 dead in coup bid, almost 3,000 detained

Kavala is chairman of the Anadolu Kultur (Anatolian Culture) NGO which aims to overcome differences within Turkish society especially through culture and the arts.

It has a focus on cultural collaboration with Europe, supporting joint projects between cities and co-producing initiatives ranging from theatre to magazines.

“France, like other European countries, cooperates regularly with Mr Kavala, who is a frequent point of contact for our embassy,” said French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne.

“France will be watching developments in this case very closely,” she added, emphasising that Turkey’s international obligations were based on observing human rights and freedom of expression.

Anadolu Kultur has also sought to reach out to Armenia. Turkey has no relations with the country partly due to the dispute over the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, which Yerevan considers a genocide.

Richard Giragosian, director of the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Center (RSC) think tank, described Kavala as “our longtime partner in efforts to ‘normalise’ relations with Turkey.”

“He has greatly contributed to the restoration of Armenian churches and monuments in Turkey,” Giragosian told AFP.

The Dogan agency reported that Kavala had been in the city of Gaziantep, in southeastern Turkey, to discuss a project with Germany’s cultural outreach organisation, the Goethe Institut.
It said he was detained as part of an investigation by Istanbul prosecutors, without giving further details.

The Hurriyet daily said Kavala was detained on the plane after it landed and police had simultaneously conducted a search of Anadolu Kultur’s offices in Istanbul.

The arrest comes as rights concern intensify under the state of emergency imposed after last year’s failed coup against Erdogan.
Eleven human rights activists, including the two top figures from Amnesty International’s Turkey branch, will go on trial in Istanbul next week on hugely controversial terror charges.

The case has raised tensions with Sweden and Germany, whose nationals are among those detained.

In telephone talks this week, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland told Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul the activists should be released as “pre-trial detention should be a measure of last resort.”

In total 156 journalists, most detained under the state of emergency, are currently behind bars, according to the P24 activist group.

Amnesty’s Turkey researcher Andrew Gardner said on Twitter that the arrest of Kavala was the “latest attack on civil society in Turkey”.

“Osman Kavala has worked tirelessly to build reconciliation, dialogue and support the rule of law in Turkey,” added Emma Sinclair-Webb of Human Rights Watch.

Kati Piri, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, described the arrest as “very disturbing” and said she would ask EU lawmakers “to launch [an] urgent call for his release”.

Reports said Kavala was born in Paris but took over the family business when his father died. He is also the co-founder of the Iletisim publishing house.
World powers urge ‘stability’ in Turkey

“The arrest of our friend Osman Kavala is a turning point in the oppression of the human rights movement” under Erdogan, said Benjamin Abtan, president of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement (EGAM).

Prominent Turkish opposition commentator Hasan Cemal wrote on the T24 website: “You [Kavala] are not alone. We are beside you! Together we will continue to fight together for the rule of law, human rights and freedom in Turkey.”

The post Uproar as Turkey detains top civil society figure appeared first on The Express Tribune.

Source: Tribune News | Uproar as Turkey detains top civil society figure

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has lauded the role of Army Medical Corps in saving valuable lives of servicemen taking part in war against terrorism, the military’s media wing said.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Qamar has appointed Surgeon General of Pakistan Army Lt-Gen Zahid Hamid as Colonel Commandant of Army Medical Corps.

The ceremony was held at the Army Medical Centre in Abbottabad where the COAS also attended the Commanding Officers’ Conference on Thursday.

Four major generals promoted as lieutenant generals: ISPR

The outgoing Colonel Commandant, Lieutenant General Asif Mumtaz Sukhera, as well as other senior officers and soldiers of medical corps were also present.

Later, while interacting with the commanding officers and soldiers of Army Medical Corps, Gen Qamar appreciated contributions and service of doctors and paramedic staff in providing quality health care to the Pakistan Army as well as common citizens.

The army chief also laid a floral wreath at the Yadgar-e-Shuhada and offered Fateha.

The post Gen Qamar commends Medical Corps’ role for saving soldiers fighting terrorism appeared first on The Express Tribune.

Source: Tribune News | Gen Qamar commends Medical Corps’ role for saving soldiers fighting terrorism

In a surprising development, security guards of Maryam Safdar, the daughter of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, denied Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair entry when he came to meet her at the residence of her son-in-law in Islamabad on Thursday.

According to Express News, the gatekeeper at Chaudhry Munir’s house in Islamabad refused to open the main gate for Zubair, who waited outside for some time and then left in a huff.

In a video clip aired on Express News, Governor Zubair could be seen standing along with his entourage outside the gate and trying unsuccessfully to hide his embarrassment.

Nawaz, daughter, son-in-law indicted by accountability court

Workers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also argued with the security staff at the gate to have the gate opened, but in vain.

Later, the deposed premier’s daughter intervened and reprimanded the security staff for not letting Governor Zubair in. She also called up Zubair and asked him to revisit the house.

The doors were finally opened for the governor when he came back again.

The post Sindh governor turned away by security staff of Maryam’s son-in-law appeared first on The Express Tribune.

Source: Tribune News | Sindh governor turned away by security staff of Maryam’s son-in-law