हिंदू महासभा के अध्यक्ष चक्रपाणि के बयान पर देवबंदी उलेमाओं ने कहा कि बंटवारे के लिए नेहरू जिम्मेदार, जिन्ना का इसमें कोई कसूर नहीं.
हिंदू महासभा के अध्यक्ष स्वामी चक्रपाणि के बयान पर देवबंदी उलेमाओं ने दी प्रतिक्रिया. (फाइल फोटाेे)
An experienced squad led by long-time captain William Porterfield will face Pakistan at Malahide Cricket Club when the two sides meet next week in what will be Ireland's first Test match.
Cricket Ireland's 14-man squad includes many stalwarts of the Irish game, including the O'Brien brothers, Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling. Left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who has struggled for form and had a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign in Zimbabwe, was left out.
Ireland's best chance of troubling Pakistan in home conditions lies in the quality and strength of their seam bowling, and unsurprisingly, players with that skill set feature heavily in the squad. Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh, Stuart Thompson, Tyrone Kane, and Kevin O'Brien are all handy options in their own conditions. Less than a week ago, Pakistan were bowled out for 168 against second division Kent, their troubles to handle seam bowling particularly evident.
Despite this being their first Test match, Ireland probably won't go into it with eleven debutants. Veteran fast bowler Boyd Rankin has played one Test - for England - over four years ago. That came against Australia in Sydney, the fifth match of a series England lost 5-0.
Ireland will become the 11th side to play Test cricket, after the ICC last year approved them, along with Afghanistan, as the 11th and 12th ICC Full Members. They have been a consistently impressive side around the fringes of the top ten for the past decade or so, and Pakistan, of all nations, need no reminding of their potential to cause an upset. In the 2007 World Cup, Ireland stunned Pakistan in the group stage by three wickets, knocking them out of the competition on St Patrick's Day. They claimed a Full Member scalp in each of the following World Cups, beating England by chasing down 329 in 2011, and trouncing West Indies in the sides' opening game in 2015.
Squad: William Porterfield (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, Ed Joyce, Tyrone Kane, Andy McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien (wk), Boyd Rankin, Nathan Smith, Paul Stirling, James Shannon, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson
अमृतसर (एएनआइ)। आखिरकार पाकिस्तान की जेल में पिछले 5 साल से बंद भारतीय नागरिक जितेंद्र अर्जुनवार रिहा हो गया। जितेंद्र के स्वदेश लौटने पर न सिर्फ उनका परिवार बल्कि पूरे देश में खुशी का माहौल है। पाकिस्तान की जेल से रिहा होने के बाद मध्यप्रदेश के निवासी जितेंद्र ने राहत की सांस लेते हुए कहा कि वे अपने वतन लौटकर बहुत खुशी महसूस कर रहे हैं। जितेंद्र ने बताया कि वे टीबी और कैंसर की बीमारी से जूझ रहे हैं। उन्होंने कहा, 'मेरा पाकिस्तान की जेल में इलाज किया गया और अब मैं वापस लौटकर काफी खुश हूं।'
अटारी नायब तहसीलदार करणपाल सिंह ने कहा कि उन्हें अर्जुनवार को आइसीपी अटासी से अस्पताल ले जाने की जिम्मेदारी सौंपी गई थी। उन्होंने कहा, 'मुझे जितेंद्र अर्जुनवार को आइसीपी अटारी से अस्पताल ले जाने की जिम्मेदारी दी गई। उन्हें चिकित्सा अधिकारियों के साथ एम्बुलेंस के माध्यम से लाया गया।' पाकिस्तानी विदेश कार्यालय ने बुधवार को घोषणा की कि वह खराब स्वास्थ्य के कारण भारतीय कैदी जितेंद्र अर्जुनवार को रिहा कर रहे हैं। बता दें कि पहले जितेंद्र को 4 मई को रिहा करने की जानकारी दी गई थी, लेकिन उन्हें 1 दिन पहले ही रिहा कर दिया गया।
स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण के बाद सिवनी होंगे रवाना
रिहाई के बाद जितेंद्र को बाघा बॉर्डर पर बीएसएफ के हवाले कर दिया गया। जिसके बाद वहां जितेंद्र का स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण करवाया गया। बता दें कि जितेंद्र को अभी 2 से 4 दिन स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण के लिए बाघा बॉर्डर पर ही रखा जाएगा। पूरी तरह से स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण के बाद ही उसे सिवनी अपने घर भेजा जाएगा। स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण के बाद बाघा बॉर्डर से जितेंद्र को उसके भाई भरत के साथ पूरी सुरक्षा व्यवस्था के साथ सिवनी के लिए रवाना कर दिया जाएगा।
5 साल बाद स्वदेश लौटे जितेंद्र
करीब पांच सालों से पाकिस्तानी जेल में बंद मध्य प्रदेश का 20 वर्षीय जीतेंद्र अर्जनवार भारत लौट आया है। मध्य प्रदेश के सिवनी जिले के बरघाट गांव का निवासी जीतेंद्र 12 अगस्त, 2013 को घर से झगड़कर राजस्थान की ओर निकल गया था। वहां अजमेर से सीमा पारकर पाकिस्तान जा पहुंचा। पाकिस्तानी रेंजर्स ने उसे पकड़कर सिंध की हैदराबाद सेंट्रल जेल में बंद कर दिया। करीब साल भर बाद जून 2014 में उसकी सजा पूरी हो गई। लेकिन उसकी रिहाई तब तक संभव नहीं थी, जब तक कि भारत उसे अपने नागरिक रूप में स्वीकार न कर ले। कुछ दिन पहले ही यह प्रक्रिया पूर्ण होने के बाद जीतेंद्र को कराची जेल से रिहा कर दिया गया और आज वे स्वदेश लौट आए हैं।
By Nancy Bajpai
नई दिल्ली (जेएनएन)। पाकिस्तान में इस्लाम न मानने वालों अथवा इस्लाम से जबरन खारिज किए गए लोगों के साथ किस कदर बदसलूकी होती है और उस पर वहां की नेशनल एसेंबली यानी संसद भी मुहर लगाने में संकोच नहीं करती, इसका एक शर्मनाक प्रमाण गुरुवार को तब फिर मिला जब इस एसेंबली ने अहमदिया समुदाय के नोबल विजेता वैज्ञानिक प्रो अब्दुस सलाम के प्रति घोर असम्मान जताते हुए कायदे आजम विश्वविद्यालय में उनके नाम पर रखे गए नेशनल फिजिक्स सेंटर यानी फिजिक्स डिपार्टमेंट से उनका नाम हटाने के एक प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दे दी। यह प्रस्ताव मंजूर होने की खबर मिलते ही विवि ने उनका नाम तत्काल प्रभाव से हटा भी दिया। इस प्रस्ताव में यह भी कहा गया है कि इसे याद रखा जाना चाहिए कि पाकिस्तान दो राष्ट्र के सिद्धांत पर बना था। प्रस्ताव की ऐसी भाषा पाकिस्तान के अल्पसंख्यकों के लिए खतरनाक मानी जा रही है। एक अजीब बात यह भी है कि यह प्रस्ताव पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री नवाज शरीफ के दामाद कैप्टन सफदर लाए थे। सबसे शर्मनाक यह रहा कि यह प्रस्ताव सर्वसम्मति से पारित हुआ। इस प्रस्ताव के पारित होने के बाद पाकिस्तान की सिविल सोसाइटी के लोग और कई पत्रकार, मानवाधिकारवादी अपने सांसदों को कोसने में लगे हुए हैं। ज्यादातर का स्वर यही है कि इस मुल्क का कुछ नहीं हो सकता।
अब्दुस सलाम की बेकदरी करने वाला यह प्रस्ताव इसलिए भी हैरानी भरा रहा, क्योंकि इस्लामाबाद के कायदे आजम विश्वविद्यालय के फिजिक्स डिपार्टमेंट का नाम अब्दुस सलाम के नाम पर रखने का फैसला 2016 में नवाज शरीफ के प्रधानमंत्री रहते समय लिया गया था। इस विवि के फिजिक्स डिपार्टमेंट को अब्दुस सलाम का नाम दिए जाने की पहल पाकिस्तान की सिविल सोसाइटी और खासकर शिक्षक, वैज्ञानिक आदि एक अर्से से कर रहे थे। अब्दुस सलाम के नाम को फिजिक्स डिपार्टमेंट से खारिज करने के नेशनल एसेंबली के फैसले को अल्पसंख्यकों की अनदेखी और उपेक्षा के बढ़ते सिलसिले के तौर पर देखा जा रहा है। ज्ञात हो कि हाल के समय में पाकिस्तान में अल्पसंख्यकों पर हमले बढ़े हैं।
अब्दुस सलाम को जब नोबेल पुरस्कार मिला था तो उन्हें यह सम्मान पाने वाले पहले मुस्लिम वैज्ञानिक के तौर पर देखा गया था। वह पाकिस्तान के एक मात्र ऐसे वैज्ञानिक रहे हैं जिन्हें नोबेल सम्मान मिला, लेकिन उन्हें अपने ही देश में कदम-कदम पर बेइज्जत किया गया। यह सिलसिला उनकी मौत के बाद भी जारी रहा। पहले उनकी कब्र में उनके नाम से यह उल्लेख हटा दिया गया कि वह मुस्लिम हैं और अब उनके नाम वाले फिजिक्स डिपार्टमेंट का नया नामकरण कर दिया गया। पाकिस्तान में अहमदिया समुदाय को 1974 में बाकायदा संविधान संशोधन के जरिये इस्लाम से खारिज कर दिया गया था। इसके बाद से उनकी प्रताड़ना का वैसा ही सिलसिला कायम है जैसा पाकिस्तान में रह रहे हिंदुओं, सिखों और ईसाइयों का है। अहमदिया समुदाय की मस्जिदों पर हमले होना आम बात है। उन्हें हर तरह के दमन का शिकार तो होना ही पड़ता है, उन्हें यह भी इजाजत नहीं कि वे अपने को मुस्लिम कहें।
कुछ समय पहले जब “गॉड पार्टिकल” की खोज हुई थी तो दुनिया भर में अब्दुस सलाम को याद किया गया था, क्योंकि इस खोज की शुरुआती आधारशिला उन्होंने ही रखी थी। जब सारी दुनिया की वैज्ञानिक बिरादरी अब्दुस सलाम का स्मरण कर रही थी तब पाकिस्तान में किसी ने उनका नाम तक नहीं लिया। पाकिस्तान का यह रवैया इतना हैरानी भरा था कि इसका जिक्र सीएनएन के एक खास कार्यक्रम में किया गया।
पाकिस्तान की नेशनल एसेंबली में अल्पसंख्यकों के प्रति नफरत को बयान करने वाले आए प्रस्ताव में कायदे आजम विवि के फिजिक्स डिपार्टमेंट से अब्दुस सलाम का नाम हटाकर खगोलशास्त्री अबू अल फतह अब्दुल रहमान का नाम जोड़ने का फैसला किया गया है। अब पाकिस्तान के आम लोग यह जानने में लगे हुए हैं कि यह महाशय कौन हैं और आखिर इनका पाकिस्तान से क्या ताल्लुक है?
By Nancy Bajpai
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur is hopeful that the time of the year will help them overcome the loss of legspinner Yasir Shah for the Tests against Ireland and England.
Yasir has taken 89 wickets in the last two years - more than double Pakistan's next most successful bowler in the period - but was ruled out of this tour due to a hip injury. Shadab Khan, the 19-year-old legspinner, who has impressed with the white ball but has played just one Test, has huge shoes to fill although there remains a chance Pakistan will decide to go without a specialist spinner given the early-season conditions which are likely to prevail.
There has been a significant decline in Pakistan's Test fortunes since the shared series against England in 2016 which helped them to the No. 1 ranking. They are now languishing at No. 7 following series defeats against New Zealand, Australia and most recently Sri Lanka - their record with Arthur as coach is 11 defeats and six wins from 17 Tests - and are going through a transitional phase following the retirements of batting stalwarts Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.
There are four uncapped batsmen in the squad and the absence of Yasir has shorn Pakistan of a senior figure with the ball while also leaving them with their least experienced spin attack to face England in at least 40 years.
"Any team would miss Yasir," Arthur said ahead of the team's first warm-up match against Kent. "He has the ability to hold the attack and control the game. Shadab is incredibly exciting but also I am not sure that spin is going to be a huge factor given it's early season in England, so we have covered ourselves in the seam department. But Shadab can clean tails up because he has all the tricks. It is going to be exciting to see how he goes.
"Yasir is a big loss but we have him at the National Cricket Academy [in Lahore] and he is getting fit, his stress fracture is healing and it's really important for us to have him fit and firing for the Australia and New Zealand series later in the year."
Pakistan's bowling attack will rest heavily on Mohammad Amir, who arrived in the UK on Wednesday having been granted his visa after a short delay. Two years ago he made his return to Test cricket at Lord's, following his spot-fixing ban, and since then has not earned the rewards his bowling has often deserved with 44 wickets at 37.25. How Pakistan catch will be a critical factor, with Amir suffering significantly from missed chances, although there is also a belief in the team management that the amount of white-ball cricket he has played has led him into bowling too short with the red ball.
"He's our No. 1 bowler, we back him in tough situations. He generally gets it done for us," Arthur said. "We need him to get the ball swinging, we need him to get his length slightly fuller and if he gets that he's going to ask a lot of questions."
Amir's workload has also become a topic of debate in recent times, with the indication that he may sit out some Test cricket to preserve him for the 2019 World Cup and beyond. Arthur said that Pakistan have "three weeks off" between now and the World Cup, leaving a balancing act between building a new era for the Test side while keeping an eye on the demands of the limited-overs game.
"We have had the workload debate for a long time now and every team has to do the same. We only have three weeks off in our calendar now before the World Cup next year, so we'd be silly not to arrive here with our bowlers fit and we know who they are - we have identified them - so we just have to manage them because ultimately want the best team to play in that 2019 World Cup.
"But also for us it is so important to win Test matches - we are a young team and we need to get our Test team right and to do that we have to build a core of players who can play at any given time. We are trying to resurrect our Test side, we feel we've got our white-ball cricket where we need it now, so we are really excited about this series, really excited to see these young guys come out and perform. There's some incredible talent in our dressing room, so let's hope it all goes well for us."
Kent 39 for 1 trail Pakistan 168 (Imam 61, Gidman 5-47) by 129 runs
Scorecard
A half-century from Imam-ul-Haq was the one bright spot for Pakistan as they began their tour of the UK and Ireland with a warm-up match in Canterbury. The Pakistan XI were dismissed for 168 after electing to bat, Kent's Will Gidman taking five-for, with Imam the only member of the top order to pass 17.
Imam was sixth out, as Pakistan slid from 111 for 3 to 140 for 8, before Hasan Ali cracked 24 from just 11 balls to lift them to 168. Hasan then struck with his fourth ball, pinning Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw, as Kent moved to 39 for 1 in reply before bad light brought an early close.
The nephew of selector and former Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imam made his ODI debut last year, scoring a century on his first international appearance. Batting at No. 3 against Kent, he scored nine boundaries while spending almost three hours at the crease, pushing his case for inclusion in the Test side.
"It was difficult, it was a very rainy day and the conditions were favouring the bowlers," Imam said. "We were working very hard, had a good session the last two days. I was trying to adapt as quickly as I can, trying to have positive intent."
Pakistan lost both openers with the score on 28, Azhar Ali bowled driving at Gidman and Sami Aslam then trapped lbw by Harry Podmore. Haris Sohail was also out lbw, to Gidman, but Imam and Asad Shafiq added 58 for the fourth wicket.
However, after Shafiq was dismissed for 17, bowled by Ivan Thomas, Pakistan's lower-middle order melted away. Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed were caught behind, Shadab Khan had his stumps disturbed by Calum Haggett and Gidman completed his five-wicket haul when he had Mohammad Amir lbw for 4.
Hasan was last out, a second wicket for Podmore, and although Pakistan struck early in Kent's reply, Sean Dickson and Joe Denly guided the home side to the close.
NZC is weighing up a request from the PCB to play in Pakistan later this year. Pakistan are currently scheduled to "host" New Zealand for a full tour of the UAE, comprising most likely of three Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, in October-November.
"NZC has received a request from the PCB chairman for New Zealand to play in Pakistan," a spokesman for the New Zealand board said. "At the moment NZC is doing due diligence on the request and consulting with security providers, the government, and the players. We will respond to the PCB when this process has been completed."
New Zealand have not played Test cricket in Pakistan since their tour in 2002 ended in dramatic and tragic circumstances. Scheduled to play a two-Test series, the tour was cut short after one Test. On the morning the second Test was due to start, a massive bomb blast outside the hotel the teams were staying at killed 15 people, including 11 French engineers. The New Zealand team was not thought to be a target.
The tour was immediate cancelled, with the team flying back home that very day. New Zealand did, however, come to Pakistan the following year to play an ODI series.
They were also scheduled to tour in December 2009, but the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March that year put paid to that. The attacks led to Pakistan cricket moving away from the country - a situation that remains largely unchanged. Cricket has begun to trickle back to the country, amid presidential-style security in Lahore and Karachi.
Since Zimbabwe visited for three ODIs and two T20Is in 2015, Pakistan has played host to four Pakistan Super League matches, three T20Is against an ICC World XI, one T20I against Sri Lanka and three T20Is against the West Indies last month.
Pakistan are also due to host Australia in the UAE this winter for a limited-overs series, but a CA spokesman confirmed no part of that series would be played in Pakistan. "The safety and security of Australian players is our number one priority," he said. "From an Australia team perspective, we are not contemplating moving our current bilateral-tour arrangements from taking on Pakistan in the Middle East, when they host the next series."
New Zealand and Australia are the two Full Member sides who have gone longest without touring Pakistan. Australia last arrived in Pakistan two decades ago in 1998, playing three Tests and five ODIs. New Zealand have not visited the country since their limited-overs series in 2003.
Derbyshire have agreed the signing of Wahab Riaz for this summer's Vitality T20 Blast, an undertaking which the player hopes will help end his exile from the Pakistan side.
Wahab, 32, has not played for Pakistan since a Test against Sri Lanka in Dubai last October and was pointedly criticised by their coach, Mickey Arthur, when he was excluded from a training squad ahead of the forthcoming tour of England for which he has not been selected. Arthur rubbished Wahab's work ethic in training and remarked that "he has not won us a game in two years."
But Derbyshire believe they have secured a matchwinner, confidence that has grown further by the news that Wahab underwent surgery at the weekend for a long-standing sinus problem.
Wahab will be available for the bulk of Derbyshire's fixtures, leaving in early August for the Caribbean Premier League where he will join Barbados Tridents.
His T20 record remains an impressive one. He finished the joint leading wicket-taker in the PSL with Faheem Asraf when he took 18 wickets for Peshewar Zalmi at an economy rate of less than seven an over. In all, he has taken 197 wickets in 167 T20 matches at an average of 7.11.
Derbyshire reached the quarter-finals of the Blast under the guidance last season of their specialist T20 coach, John Wright and Wahab's proven ability, and his reputation for turning matches with hot spells, will lift their confidence that a repeat is not beyond them.
Whether Wahab can re-energise his Pakistan career under Arthur's coaching tenure remains open to doubt.
Arthur, like many before him, is seeking "a high-performance culture within the Pakistan squad" and told ESPNcricinfo: "I expect players that have been around for a long time to be winning us games and setting standards . The guys need to push themselves and get out of their comfort zones."
"I cannot fault Wahab when he has a ball in his hand but his work ethic around training is something [that] needs to be looked at. I am changing the culture in this Pakistan environment and I am not interested in players doing just the bare minimum."
Even during his last Test, against Sri Lanka in Dubai, Wahab wrecked the top order and nearly transformed a Test that had seemed lost. But the last time he played an ODI was nearly a year ago in India during the Champions Trophy when he returned galling figures of 8.4-0-87-0.
A rain-hit game in Canterbury between Kent and the visiting Pakistan side meandered to its inevitable conclusion, the sides playing out an uninspiring draw. Pakistan had been shot out for 168 on the opening day, and Kent ended day one at 39 for 1. Following that, no play was possible the following two days of the four-day game, rendering the match as a competitive contest redundant.
The early part of day four was unable to have play owing to a wet outfield, leaving the Kent ground staff with the thankless task of drying a pitch that was never going to produce a result. When play finally began, Sean Dickson and Joe Denly, captaining Kent in Sam Billings' absence, took the opportunity to bat against a quality bowling line-up, seeing off the pace trio of Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali and Rahat Ali. They combined for a 160-run partnership, and Denly finished unbeaten on 113, hitting 14 fours and three sixes along the way. Dickson was dismissed to legspinner Shadab Khan after reaching 74 and another couple of wickets fell soon, before the sides shook hands after 49 overs of play.
Pakistan's next tour game takes place in Northampton from May 4 to 7, before they take on Ireland in the latter's first ever Test in Dublin from May 11.
