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Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 73 and Rohit Sharma struck form with 76 not out in match-winning knocks for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians in an IPL super Sunday.The in-form Kohli hit his fourth half-century of this edition of the popular T20 tournament to anchor Bengaluru’s chase of 158 in a seven-wicket win over Punjab Kings at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.Another Indian veteran Rohit struck form with his first fifty this season in the second match of the day to lead Mumbai’s nine-wicket hammering of Chennai Super Kings in a battle of heavyweights.Rohit, 37, put on 114 runs with Suryakumar Yadav, who hit 68 off 30 balls, as they steered the five-time champions’ chase of 177, getting there with 26 balls to spare.Rohit, 37, came in as impact substitute in the chase and put on 63 with Ryan Rickleton, who fell for 24 off Ravindra Jadeja, to lay the foundations of Mumbai’s third straight win.”After being here for such a long period of time, it’s easy to start doubting yourself and start doing different things,” Rohit said after being named player of the match.”For me, it was important to do simple things and have a clear mindset. It was important for me to hold my shape and extend my arms, and when the ball was in my area, I had to do what I have been doing.”Rohit struggled for form until this knock with just 82 runs in his previous six innings but found his groove with trademark flicks and pulls.He reached his fifty in 33 balls but Suryakumar was in a hurry and his knock included some audacious shots behind the wicket raised his half-ton in 26 deliveries.Rohit and Suryakumar smashed 11 sixes between them.- Kohli-Padikkal combo -Bowlers set up victory after Jasprit Bumrah’s 2-25 and spinner Mitchell Santner’s 1-14 kept Chennai down to 176-5.Shivam Dube, who made 50, and Jadeja, who hit an unbeaten 53, put on 79 runs for the fourth wicket and 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre smashed 32 off 15 balls after being the youngest player to debut for Chennai.Five-time winners Chennai, led by M.S. Dhoni after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad pulled out injured mid-season, crashed to their sixth defeat in eight matches to stay bottom of the 10-team table.In the first match of the day, Bengaluru were propelled by a 103-run second-wicket stand between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, who hit 61, to reach their target with seven balls to spare.Bengaluru avenged their loss to Punjab at home on Friday and the two teams, both seeking their first IPL title, are level on points.”Very important game for us,” said player of the match Kohli. “When you go from eight (points) to 10, it makes a massive difference.”Kohli on his anchor role said: “One partnership is good enough in T20 cricket during run chase. I can accelerate, but I want to understand the strengths of other players.”Holding one end up at the moment, that’s working for us.”The in-form Kohli, 36, struck his fourth half-ton of the season and surpassed Australia’s David Warner for the most 50-plus scores in the popular T20 tournament.Kohli has now made it past the 50-mark 67 times, including eight centuries.Left-handed Padikkal struck his first fifty of the season, after Bengaluru lost opener Phil Salt in the first over to Arshdeep Singh.Padikkal fell to Harpreet Brar, leaving Kohli to play the anchor in a 54-ball knock laced with seven fours and a six.Bengaluru spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma took two wickets each to set up victory as they helped restrict Punjab to 157-6.

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal hit half-centuries to steer Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a seven-wicket win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.Chasing 158 for victory, Bengaluru were propelled by a 103-run second-wicket stand between Kohli, who made an unbeaten 73, and Padikkal to reach their target with seven balls to spare at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.Bengaluru avenged their loss to Punjab at home on Friday and the two teams, both seeking their first IPL title, are level on points.The in-form Kohli, 36, struck his fourth half-ton of the season and surpassed Australia’s David Warner for the most 50-plus scores in the popular T20 tournament.Kohli has now made it past the 50-mark 67 times, including eight centuries.Left-handed Padikkal made 61 off 35 balls, his first fifty of the season, after Bengaluru lost opener Phil Salt in the first over to Arshdeep Singh.Padikkal fell to Harpreet Brar, leaving Kohli to play the anchor in a 54-ball knock laced with seven fours and a six.Bengaluru spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma took two wickets each to set up victory as they helped restrict Punjab to 157-6.Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh started aggressively in an opening stand of 42 before Pandya was introduced in the fifth over.The left-arm spinner struck with his second ball to send back Arya for 22.Pandya struck again in his next over to dismiss Prabhsimran, who hit 33 off 17 balls, and finished with figures of 2-25.West Indies fast bowler Romario Shepherd, in his first Bengaluru outing this season, had skipper Shreyas Iyer out for six and Nehal Wadhera was run out soon after.England’s Josh Inglis attempted to hit back, smashing 29 off 17 balls, but was bowled by leg-spinner Suyash.Suyash hit the stumps again three balls later to remove Marcus Stoinis as Punjab slipped to 114-6.Shashank Singh, who made 31, and Marco Jansen, who hit 25, put on an unbeaten stand of 43 to boost the total but it was not enough to challenge Bengaluru.

Zimbabwe finished the first day of the first Test in a commanding position at 67-0 after an inspired bowling performance dismissed Bangladesh for 191 runs on Sunday. The visitors’ opening pair of Brian Bennett, unbeaten on 40 off 37 balls, and Ben Curran (17) took the attack to Bangladesh’s bowlers in the 14.1 overs they faced before bad light stopped play.Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored 40, earlier won the toss and opted to bat first on a pace-friendly wicket. But his batters failed to capitalise on the decision and none of them, including top-scorer Mominul Haque (56) or Jakir Ali, who made 28, were able to turn good starts into decent Test scores.  The Zimbabwe attack bowled aggressive and disciplined lines, with paceman Blessing Muzarabani and left-arm orthodox Wellington Masakadza both taking three wickets.They were assisted by Victor Nyauchi and Wessley Madhevere, who shared the other four wickets.Nyauchi set the tone for the visitors, sending back Bangladesh’s openers early in the first session with only 32 runs on the board. Shadman Islam was the first to fall for 12 in the ninth over, with Nyauchi also removing Mahmudul Hasan Joy (14) in his next over. A third-wicket partnership of 66 runs between Haque and Shanto gave the home team’s score some respectability. Bangladesh’s relatively inexperienced pace attack of Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana and Khalid Rana couldn’t find their lines against Bennett, who hit six fours.Trailing only by 124 runs, Zimbabwe have a rare opportunity to set a formidable first innings total with the pitch expected to be better for the batters on the second day. Bangladesh are ranked ninth and Zimbabwe are at the bottom of the 12-team ICC Test rankings after a disappointing year and both teams are hoping for a better start to the long season ahead.The hosts have been formidable on the slow and spin-friendly home pitches but have several veterans missing. The second and final Test of the series will be played in Chattogram from April 28.Day 1 scores:Bangladesh: 191 all out (Mominul Haque 56, Najmul Hossain Shanto 40; Blessing Muzarabani 3-50, Wellington Masakadza 3-21Zimbabwe: 67-0 Brian Bennett 40, Ben Curran 17; Hasan Mahmud 0-16Toss: Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first.

Defending champion Kyren Wilson crashed out in the first round of the World Snooker Championship, losing 10-9 to Chinese debutant Lei Peifan as the “Crucible Curse” struck again.In a match of stark momentum swings, Wilson lost seven frames in a row in the course of becoming the 20th first-time Crucible champion to fail to defend his title.No first-time winner has been able to retain the world crown since the tournament moved to Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre in 1977.Lei, one of a record 10 Chinese players in this year’s draw, looked down and out when trailing 6-2.But he staged a stunning recovery, including a run of six consecutive half-century breaks, to move to the brink of victory on Saturday’s opening night of the championship.The 21-year-old then had to withstand a Wilson comeback before delivering a break of 66 under intense pressure in the decider to send the defending champion tumbling out.”Obviously it’s really hard to take,” said 33-year-old Wilson. “I’ve got such a strong record at the Crucible and I was nowhere near my best but it still took a 10-9 to beat me.”It’s been a really long season and I’ve done so much. I’ve never been stretched so much in all my life but I’m proud of the way I’ve handled it and I’m proud of the success I’ve had as well.”Wilson, who has won four ranking titles this season, had expressed confidence that he would be the man to put the 48-year-old curse to bed.He was in total control against Lei when he led 6-2 but the Scottish Open champion roared back to lead 9-6.Englishman Wilson, the world number two, stopped the rot with a defiant clearance of 106 and went on to set up the decider but fell at the final hurdle.”It feels amazing,” said Lei. “The Scottish Open was my first title and this was my Crucible debut —- both moments are very special to me. The emotions were just as intense.”The world number 39, who had to come through qualifying, will face Zhao Xintong or Jak Jones in the last 16.

Shy schoolboy Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in dreamland at just 14, having become the youngest player in Indian Premier League history and marking the occasion with an audacious first-ball six.The fearless young left-hander is being touted as a superstar in the making after his instant impact opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, when he scored 34 off 20 balls in Jaipur including three sixes and two fours.He finished on the losing side but stole the limelight as, at 14 years and 23 days old, he made his debut for Rajasthan after being bought for $130,500 in November’s player’s auction when he was still only 13.An explosive free-scoring batsman, who can also bowl spin, Suryavanshi comes from India’s poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and part-time journalist, according to Indian media.The teenager’s rise has been swift.He made his domestic debut aged 12 in the Ranji Trophy in January 2024, then was selected for India’s under-19 squad against a touring Australia team.He promptly hit a 58-ball century — the second fastest ton in youth Tests after England’s Moeen Ali in 2005.But it was the bidding war at the IPL player auction later that year that catapulted the youngster into global headlines.Now he finds himself among the cricketing elite in the world’s most popular and lucrative T20 tournament and has been lauded by former players after his first show.Former England captain Michael Vaughan tagged a clip of Suryavanshi hitting his first ball for six off seasoned India seamer Shardul Thakur and wrote on X: “This is incredible.””He is 14 but has the mind of a 30-year-old,” former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said. “Vaibhav Suryavanshi looked confident against bowlers who have been bowling for years.”Former India batsman Suresh Raina said: “He will rule cricket in the future. Vaibhav Suryavanshi will show what he is capable of.”- Bidding war -Rajasthan coach and India great Rahul Dravid was impressed by the youngster in trials before the auction, saying that Suryavanshi had “some really good skills”.His father, Sanjeev, expressed astonishment after what happened in the auction.”I am speechless… I don’t know what to say. It’s a massive thing for our family,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express newspaper.”I had a gut feeling that he would get picked, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that there would be a bidding war.”He believes his son is at the right team to realise his potential.”Over the years Royals have groomed the youngsters. Be it Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel or Riyan Parag, all are products of the Rajasthan Royals franchise,” said Sanjeev.”I sincerely hope that Vaibhav will also follow the same path.”His state coach, Pramod Kumar, described him as a quiet boy who loves his cricket.”He is the kind of player who has come on Earth to play cricket, he settles for nothing else,” Kumar told The Times of India newspaper.”He hardly talks, but ask him about cricket and he can go on day and night.”Born on March 27, 2011, Suryavanshi is the first IPL cricketer born after the tournament’s inception in 2008.Prayas Ray Barman was the previous youngest IPL player. He was 16 years and 157 days in 2019 when he made his debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019. 

Vaibhav Suryavanshi made an explosive 34 off 20 balls as he became the youngest player in IPL history aged just 14 on Saturday but finished on the losing side as Lucknow Super Giants beat Rajasthan Royals by two runs.In the first match of the day, England’s Jos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 97 to power Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL table with a seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad’s intense heat.But it was the evening game that drew eyeballs after Rajasthan turned to Suryavanshi as their impact substitute and he opened the batting alongside India star Yashasvi Jaiswal following Lucknow’s 180-5.Suryavanshi stole the limelight after belting his first ball for six in a much-awaited debut after he was bought for $130,500 in the November auction when he was still just 13.Jaiswal and Suryavanshi, who hit three sixes and two fours in an electrifying knock, put on 85 for the first wicket before the youngster was stumped by Rishabh Pant off the bowling of South Africa international Aiden Markram. Stand-in captain Riyan Parag came in and made 39 but Rajasthan lost their way as he departed shortly after Jaiswal fell for 74.Avesh Khan dismissed both in the 18th over to turn the match on its head and Rajasthan finished on 178-5 after the Lucknow fast bowler defended nine off the last over to pull off a stunning victory for his team in Jaipur.”These kind of matches build character,” Lucknow skipper Pant said after his team moved up to fourth in the 10-team table. “It was an amazing win. As a team, this is going to take us to a different level.”- ‘Boss Baby’ -Shimron Hetmyer scored 12 before he fell to Avesh on the third ball of the 20th over and despite David Miller dropping a catch in the deep, Avesh held his nerve with his yorkers and disciplined bowling to return figures of 3-37.Avesh’s heroics took some of the attention away from Suryavanshi, who was handed his chance after Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson was ruled out due to injury.He was added as an impact player for the match and then replaced medium-pace bowler Sandeep Sharma in the chase.The baby-faced Suryavanshi, called “Boss Baby” — a popular animated film — by the TV commentators, impressed in batting with Jaiswal, who recorded his third straight half-century, but their efforts ultimately came in a losing cause.Earlier, Markram’s 66 and a 50 by impact player Ayush Badoni helped Lucknow set a target of 181 after they elected to bat first.- Heat and pressure -In the afternoon match, Gujarat rode on Buttler’s 54-ball knock laced with 11 fours and four sixes to achieve their target of 204 with four balls to spare at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler and impact substitute Sherfane Rutherford, a left-hand West Indies batter who hit 43, put on a key stand of 119 to steer Gujarat to their fifth win in seven matches and top of the standingsRutherford fell in the 19th over. Delhi’s left-arm quick Mitchell Starc needed to defend 10 off the final six balls but the left-handed Rahul Tewatia finished off with a six and four.Buttler, who hit his third half-century of the season, was left three short of a hundred that would have put him level with Virat Kohli’s record eight IPL tons.Gujarat, who won the IPL in their debut season in 2022, elected to field first on a hot afternoon as the temperature soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).”I think it (heat) takes you by the surprise how draining it is,” said player of the match Buttler.”I certainly felt that while batting, cramping up and stuff. But that’s part of the game to be fit and be able to perform under pressure in the heat.”Delhi reached 203-8 but the total could have been more had it not been for four wickets by Gujarat pace bowler Prasidh Krishna, who now leads this season’s bowling chart with 14 scalps.

Indian batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi on Saturday made history as the youngest ever IPL player at 14 years old after Rajasthan Royals brought him in as their impact substitute against Lucknow Super Giants.Suryavanshi, a left-hand batsman, earned a deal in the lucrative T20 tournament after Rajasthan bought him for $130,500 in the November auction when he was still aged just 13.At 14 years and 23 days, Suryavanshi easily beat the previous record for the IPL’s youngest debutant held by Prayas Ray Barman, who was 16 years and 157 days old when he played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019.Suryavanshi was added as an impact player for the match at Rajasthan’s home in Jaipur after skipper Sanju Samson was ruled out due to injury.The teenager then came out to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal as Rajasthan sought to chase down 181, replacing medium-pace bowler Sandeep Sharma.He comes from India’s poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and part-time journalist, according to Indian media.Suryavanshi is an explosive batter and rose to prominence with a 58-ball century in an Under-19 Test against Australia — the second fastest ton in youth Tests after England’s Moeen Ali, who hit 100 in 56 balls in 2005.Suryavanshi made his domestic Ranji debut aged 12 in January last year.Rajasthan coach Rahul Dravid was impressed by his trial in the net session prior to the auction and later said the kid has got “some really good skills”.

Afghanistan’s prime minister condemned on Saturday the “unilateral measures” taken by Pakistan to forcibly deport tens of thousands of Afghans since the start of April.Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict by the end of the month more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled, including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades.Pakistan’s top diplomat Ishaq Dar flew to Kabul for a day-long visit on Saturday where he held discussions with Afghan Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.”Rather than collaborating with the Islamic Emirate on the gradual repatriation process, Pakistan’s unilateral measures are intensifying the problem and hindering progress toward a solution,” Akhund said during his meeting with Dar.He urged the Pakistani government to “facilitate the dignified return of Afghan refugees”, according to a statement on X.Earlier, foreign minister Muttaqi “expressed his deep concern and disappointment over the situation and forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan”, the ministry’s deputy spokesperson Zia Ahmad said on X.Ahmad added that Dar had reassured officials that Afghans “will not be mistreated”.- ‘No leniency’ -Afghans in Pakistan have reported weeks of arbitrary arrests, extortion and harassment by authorities.Islamabad has said nearly 85,000 have already crossed into Afghanistan, with convoys of Afghan families heading to border crossings each day fearing raids, arrests or separation from family members.On Friday, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry told a news conference that “there will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline”.The relationship between the two neighbours has soured as attacks in Pakistan’s border regions have soared following the return of the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2021.Last year was the deadliest in Pakistan for a decade, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militants to take refuge in Afghanistan, from where they plan attacks.The Taliban government denies the charge.- Second phase of deportations -Chaudhry said on Friday that nearly 85,000 Afghans have crossed into Afghanistan since the start of April, the majority of them undocumented. More than half of them were children, according to the United Nations refugee agency.The women and girls among those crossing were entering a country where they are banned from education beyond secondary school and barred from many sectors of work.Afghanistan’s refugees ministry spokesman told AFP on Saturday the Taliban authorities had recorded some 71,000 Afghan returnees through the two main border points with Pakistan between April 1 and 18.In the first phase of returns in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks.In the second phase announced in March, the Pakistan government cancelled the residence permits of more than 800,000 Afghans and warned thousands more awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April.The move to expel Afghans is widely supported by Pakistanis.”They are totally disrespectful towards our country. They have abused us, they have used us. One can’t live in a country if they don’t respect it,” said Ahmad Waleed, standing in his shop on Friday in Rawalpindi, near the capital.

Afghanistan’s foreign minister expressed “deep concern and disappointment” to his Pakistani counterpart on Saturday over the forced deportation of tens of thousands of Afghans since the start of April.Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict by the end of the month more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled, including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades.Pakistan’s top diplomat Ishaq Dar flew to Kabul for a day-long visit on Saturday where he held discussions with Afghan Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.”Muttaqi expressed his deep concern and disappointment over the situation and forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan,” the Afghan foreign ministry’s deputy spokesperson Zia Ahmad said on X. “He strongly urged Pakistani authorities to prevent the suppression of the rights of Afghans living there and those coming here.”Ahmad added that Dar reassured officials that Afghans “will not be mistreated”.Afghans in Pakistan have reported weeks of arbitrary arrests, extortion and harassment by authorities as they ramp up their campaign to expel migrants. Islamabad has said nearly 85,000 have already crossed into Afghanistan, with convoys of Afghan families heading to border crossings each day fearing raids, arrests or separation from family members.On Friday, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry told a news conference that “there will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline”.”When you arrive without any documents, it only deepens the uncertainty of whether you’re involved in narcotics trafficking, supporting terrorism, or committing other crimes,” he added.Analysts, however, say it is a politically motivated strategy to put pressure on Afghanistan’s Taliban government over escalating security concerns.The relationship between the two neighbours has soured as attacks in Pakistan’s border regions have soared, following the return of the Taliban government in Kabul in 2021.Last year was the deadliest in Pakistan for a decade, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militants to take refuge in Afghanistan, from where they plan attacks.The Taliban government denies the charge.- Second phase of deportations -Chaudhry said on Friday that nearly 85,000 Afghans have crossed into Afghanistan since the start of April, the majority of them undocumented. More than half of them were children, according to the United Nations refugee agency, entering a country where girls and women are banned from education after secondary school and barred from many sectors of work.Afghanistan’s refugees ministry spokesman told AFP on Saturday the Taliban authorities had recorded some 71,000 Afghan returnees through the two main border points with Pakistan between April 1 and 18.In the first phase of returns in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks.In the second phase announced in March, the Pakistan government cancelled the residence permits of more than 800,000 Afghans and warned thousands more awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April.Millions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan over the past several decades to flee successive wars, but tensions with the Afghan community have risen as Pakistan’s economic and security concerns have deepened.The move to expel Afghans is widely supported by Pakistanis.”They are totally disrespectful towards our country. They have abused us, they have used us. One can’t live in a country if they don’t respect it,” said Ahmad Waleed, standing in his shop on Friday in Rawalpindi, near the capital.

A mob beat to death a member of Pakistan’s persecuted Ahmadiyya minority on Friday after hundreds of radical Islamists surrounded their place of worship in the port city of Karachi, police said.A mob, many from the anti-blasphemy political group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), stormed through narrow streets of Saddar neighbourhood chanting slogans, enraged that Ahmadis were allegedly offering Friday prayers.”One member of the community was killed after the mob identified him as an Ahmadi. They attacked him with sticks and bricks,” Muhammad Safdar, a senior local police official in the port city of Karachi where the incident happened.”The mob included members of several religious parties,” he told AFP.Safdar said police took around 25 Ahmadis into custody for their safety.An AFP journalist at the scene saw a prison van escorted by police vehicles take the Ahmadi men away, after negotiating with the 600-strong chanting mob.The Ahmadiyya community are considered heretics by the Pakistani government and have been persecuted for decades, but threats and intimidation have intensified in recent years.A local resident among the crowd Abdul Qadir Ashrafi told AFP he joined the mob to pressure police to arrest the Ahmadis.”We requested that the place be sealed and that those conducting the Friday prayers be arrested, with criminal proceedings initiated against them,” Abdul Qadir Ashrafi, a 52-year-old businessman said.The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was “appalled by the orchestrated attack by a far-right religious party on a colonial-era Ahmadi place of worship”.”This failure of law and order is a stark reminder of the continued complicity of the state in the systematic persecution of a beleaguered community,” it said on X.- Deadly mob violence -Ahmadis, who number around 10 million worldwide, consider themselves Muslims, and their faith is identical to mainstream Islam in almost every way, but their belief in another messiah has marked them blasphemous non-believers.Pakistan’s constitution has branded them non-Muslims since 1974, and a 1984 law forbids them from claiming their faith as Islamic.Unlike in other countries, they cannot refer to their places of worship as mosques, make the call to prayer, or travel on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.Hardline TLP supporters regularly monitor Ahmadi places of worship and file police complaints against them for identifying as Muslims and conducting prayers in a manner similar to Islamic practices — illegal in Pakistan.According to a tally kept by the community, six Ahmadis were killed in 2024, and more than 280 since 1984.In the same period, more than 4,100 Ahmadis have faced criminal charges including 335 under blasphemy laws which carry the death penalty.Mob violence is common in Pakistan, where blasphemy is an incendiary issue that carries the death penalty.Dozens of churches were ransacked in the city of Jaranwala in 2023 when clerics used mosque loudspeakers to claim that a Christian man had committed blasphemy, sparking a crowd of hundreds of Muslim rioters.Last August, the Supreme Court was pressured into backtracking on a landmark ruling that would have allowed Ahmadis to practice their faith as long as they do not use Muslim terms, after weeks of protests by fundamentalist groups including death threats to the chief justice.