AFP Asia

Two weeks after Pakistan and India’s most intense military clashes in decades, clearance teams along the border comb through fields for unexploded shells so residents can safely build back from the rubble of their homes.Around 70 people, mostly Pakistanis, were killed in the four-day conflict that spread beyond divided Kashmir, over which the neighbours have fought three major wars.The military confrontation — involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges — came to an abrupt end after US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire, which is still holding.On the Pakistan side of Kashmir, 500 buildings were damaged or destroyed — including nearly 50 in the picturesque Neelum Valley, where two people were killed.”There is a possibility that there are unexploded shells still embedded in the ground,” said local official Muhammad Kamran, who has been helping clear educational institutions near the border.Unexploded ordnance dating from conflicts past killed several children in 2021 and 2022 in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.- ‘We are brave’ -Headmaster Muhammad Zubair follows a mine detector into a classroom of his high school in the valley where a writing on a whiteboard standing in the debris reads “we are brave” in English.”Although the fighting has stopped, people still hold so much fear and anxiety,” he told AFP.”Despite calling them back to school, children are not showing up.”Abdul Rasheed, a power department official, said he worked “day and night” to repair power lines damaged by Indian firing.Over the years, investment in roads has helped to create a modest tourism sector in the Neelum Valley, attracting Pakistanis who come to marvel at the Himalayan mountains.Hotels reopened on Monday, but they remain deserted in the middle of peak season.Alif Jan, 76, who has lived through multiple clashes between the two sides, is yet to call her grandchildren back to her border village after sending them away during the latest hostilities.”It was a very difficult time. It was like doomsday had arrived,” she said.The children were sent to Pakistan-held Kashmir’s main city of Muzaffarabad, usually safe but this time targeted with an Indian air strike.- Waiting for compensation -Jan wants to be certain the fighting doesn’t resume and that she has enough to feed them before they eventually return.In a schoolyard, she collects a 20-kilogram (45-pound) bag of flour, a can of oil, and some medicine from a local NGO.Thousands of other families are still waiting to be relocated or compensated for damage.”We have identified 5,000 families,” said Fawad Aslam, the programme manager of local aid group.”Our first priority is families who suffered direct damage, while the second priority is those who were forced to migrate — people who had to leave their homes and are now living in camps or temporary shelters.”For 25-year-old Numan Butt whose brother was killed by shrapnel, the aid is little consolation.”This conflict keeps coming upon us; this oppression is ongoing,” he told AFP.”It is a good thing that they have agreed to peace, but the brother I have lost will never come back.”

Bangladesh’s powerful army chief has said the first elections since the country’s former leader was ousted in a mass uprising should be held by December, local media reported and military sources confirmed on Thursday.General Waker-Uz-Zaman was reported to have told officers on Wednesday that elections should be held by December this year — if not earlier, according to Bangladeshi newspapers.The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since the student-led revolt that ousted then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August, with parties protesting on the streets making rafts of demands.”Bangladesh is passing through a chaotic phase,” Waker-Uz-Zaman said, according to the newspapers.”The situation is worsening by the day. The structure of the civil administration and law enforcement agencies has collapsed and failed to reconstitute.”No date has been set for elections but interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest.But the key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the front-runners in the elections, have repeatedly demanded an election date.The BNP on Wednesday held protests in the capital Dhaka, significant in that they for the first time demonstrated against the caretaker government.In response to a question from an officer, the army chief reportedly said: “Elections should be held by December, if not earlier.”He also is reported to have told officers to “carry out your duties with honesty and impartiality during the election”.It was Waker-Uz-Zaman who announced in August last year that Hasina had been overthrown, with the military taking brief control.Days later, Waker-Uz-Zaman handed over power to Yunus, 84, who has said he will lead the caretaker government until the next elections.Lieutenant Colonel Sami-Ud-Dowla Chowdhury, the military spokesperson, confirmed that Waker-Uz-Zaman had addressed officers on Wednesday but said the “meeting was confidential”.But three sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told AFP that the army chief emphasised the urgency of holding elections and said they should be held by December.Known for his calm demeanour, Waker-Uz-Zaman appeared frustrated and dissatisfied during the session, they said.

Sometimes the only outsiders that Indian troops posted along the contested frontier in Kashmir see are Pakistani soldiers eyeballing them across the remote valley high in the rugged Himalayan mountains.Contact between them extends to what Indian soldiers posted to the fortified concrete bunkers call “hooting” — an occasional taunting shout or whistle echoing across the divide, which can be as little as 30 metres (100 feet) at its narrowest point.That’s close enough to hurl a hand grenade or, perhaps more hopefully for the arch-rivals who share a sporting passion, a well-thrown cricket ball.”There is obviously no interaction with the enemy,” an Indian officer deployed along the de facto border, dubbed the Line of Control (LoC), told AFP in a visit to positions organised by the army.Troops on each side are settling back down to an uneasy standoff a month after the deadly April 22 attack on tourists in Kashmir sent relations spiralling towards a war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the Islamist militants it said were behind the killing of 26 men in the deadliest attack on civilians in Muslim-majority Kashmir in decades. Pakistan denies the charge.Troops along the LoC began exchanging nightly gunfire two days after the attack, rattling off shots into the dark without causing casualties.India then launched strikes deep into Pakistan’s territory on May 7, triggering four days of intense drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges.- ‘See and hear’ -More than 70 people were killed on both sides, the worst conflict since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10.It is still holding and the LoC is again quiet.Diplomatically, New Delhi and Islamabad seem back to an uneasy peace, trading long-standing accusations that the other supports militant groups operating in their territory.Islamabad blamed India on Wednesday for a bomb attack on a school bus that killed six people, which New Delhi called a “baseless” allegation and said it was “second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues”. India expelled a Pakistani diplomat on Wednesday, the second since the ceasefire deal.Soldiers from either side eye each other warily across the razor’s edge of the LoC that slices through the territory, home to some 17 million people and which each side claims in full.The Indian officer pointed to a green ridge where he said Indian and Pakistani posts were about 30-40 metres apart. “There are many such places across the frontline,” he said. “Our soldiers can see and hear the other side at such posts,” said the officer, who could not be identified because he did not have official clearance to speak to the media. “There is even hooting at times, but no conversations.”When the hooting does happen, it is sometimes to taunt the other during rare cricket matches between the rival nations.For the Indian forces, the Pakistani soldiers can be the only other humans they see outside their unit for weeks when snow cuts them off in the winter months. – ‘Intense’ -The border camp had multiple well-insulated bunkers, artillery pieces covered in camouflage tarpaulins and there were several radar and air defence systems on the hills.The 770-kilometre (478-mile) LoC — the route of a ceasefire line dating back to 1949 — snakes down from icy high-altitude outposts to greener foothills in the south.A senior officer in charge of multiple artillery pieces said that, for many of the men, the four days of heavy barrages had been their “first experience” of such conflict.”It was really intense,” he said, adding that “at least 100 to 150 artillery shells fell around here”.Outposts dot the picturesque but hard-to-reach terrain of snow-clad peaks, dense forests, icy streams and ridges.A small, seemingly tranquil village in Pakistani-run Kashmir surrounded by green hills was visible across the valley.”We’ve been preparing for years — and were ready,” the artillery officer said, adding that none of his men were wounded or killed and that they “gave a befitting reply to the enemy”.Indian army officers at another frontier post pointed to a damaged Pakistani post they’d targeted.Another officer showed the long rolls of concertina razor wire along their side of the frontier, a formidable barrier to protect their mountain-top outposts.”Who holds the higher position in the Himalayas is critical in any conflict,” he said. 

Sitting together on the classroom floor in Kalyanpur in northwest India, a dozen children aged five and six are trying to identify Hindi words beginning with the “p” sound.After a spontaneous “papa”, the children unanimously agree on “papaya” — spelt out at the top of their lungs by the entire class.But for these children, born into an Indigenous tribe in Rajasthan state, learning to read in a language neither they nor their parents speak is a challenge.To break this pattern, authorities launched a programme in two Rajasthan districts to teach students to read in their mother tongue.Months after the experiment began, there is progress.”I used Hindi language with the children, but I could see that they were not responding well,” said their teacher, Jashoda Khokariya.”They were scared, and were not able to answer my questions,” she added. “Now, it’s a miracle — there is not a single child who is not able to respond.”Indian school enrolment rates are high — but performance is much lower.One key problem in the world’s most populous country, where 1.4 billion people speak a mosaic of over a hundred languages, is that primary school teaching is often in a language the children do not understand.- ‘Multilingual society’ -At the age of eight, only 39 percent of Indian students reach the required reading level.At 15, the situation is even worse. The rate drops to 10 percent.Poverty, early marriage and poor teacher training are all to blame — but language plays a part too.”We have a multilingual society; this needs to be accounted for when children come to school,” said Saadhna Panday, from the UN children’s agency (UNICEF).”Several studies have demonstrated that children learn best in the early years in their mother tongue.”But this is rarely the case.In many Indian states, students are taught in English and Hindi, of which families may have little knowledge.Since 2020, the national education ministry has said that primary education in students’ mother tongue is a priority.Rajasthan ticked all the boxes to host a pilot project.A survey in nine of its rural districts revealed the magnitude of the task: 250,000 primary school students speaking 31 languages. Three-quarters of them are far from understanding — let alone speaking — Hindi.- ‘Many obstacles’ -The programme faces multiple hurdles — one of these being that teachers are not trained to use the children’s language for formal teaching in the classroom.”There were many obstacles,” said Shweta Fageria, director of Rajasthan’s State Council of Educational Research and Training centre.”We first created dictionaries by using the local dialect,” she added, before making them trilingual with Hindi and English.At the Kuwadi Nichala Fala School, a spartan concrete building on a dusty hill, 13 first graders — aged around five to six — leaf through the dictionary every schoolday.It is a far cry from the other side of India’s education system — the ultramodern technology institutes whose prize pupils are snapped up by Californian tech giants.In the sweltering heat, the top student deciphers a few lines.He is still far from mastering reading in his native Wagdi — a language with more than three million speakers, according to the last census.But he is making great progress, like all the students in his class, according to his teacher.”They can now read words,” Lakshmi Kumari Patel said.”At this age, it takes time for a child to be confident, to actively participate,” she added. “Now they are more expressive… engaging in conversations without hesitation.”-  ‘Abysmal’ schooling – Parents are now more involved too.Since they speak the language being taught, it’s up to them to support their children by having them read and telling them stories.Lalita Parmar, 62, understands the benefits that her grandchildren’s education can bring.”They will be able to get a job, then they will earn and eat,” she said. “If one gets a job, the whole family will benefit.”The state government, UNICEF and a local partner have given themselves two years to succeed and, if necessary, to expand.”Through the programme in Rajasthan, we have seen an improvement in children’s attendance at school… teachers are more structured, more planned in using the learning materials available in the classrooms, parents are getting more involved in schools,” said Panday from UNICEF.”We expect children to have better learning outcomes.”The future of India and its economy depends on it, writes economist Ashoka Mody in his recent book, “India is Broken.””The quality of school education in India remains abysmal,” Mody wrote, noting how competitors were progressing.”India’s attempt to make progress on the cheap by unconscionably delaying these investments in education, health and cities has taken its toll.”

Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 73 and a late blitz by Naman Dhir powered Mumbai Indians into the Indian Premier League playoffs with a 59-run hammering of Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.In a two-way battle with Delhi for one play-off spot, Mumbai posted 180-5 and then bowled out the opposition for 121 in their home at the Wankhede Stadium.Mumbai’s New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner returned figures of 3-11 from his four overs. Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah also took three wickets.”I can throw them (Santner and Bumrah) the ball whenever I want,” Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya said. “They bring such control and perfection, which makes my job easy.”Five-time champions Mumbai have joined Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings as the top four teams that will battle for the title in the playoffs starting May 29.Delhi still have a match to go but can now only reach 15 points, while Mumbai have 16 points with one more game to play.Mumbai turned around their fortunes midway through the season after they started with four losses in their first five matches. They now count seven victories in their last eight outings.The final few games in the group phase will decide the play-off standings as the top two teams will have the advantage of having two shots at reaching the final on June 3.Put into bat, Mumbai recovered from a top-order wobble, including home hero Rohit Sharma falling for five, to bounce back in the second half of the innings.India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar stood firm in his 43-ball knock laced with seven fours and four sixes, and Dhir boosted the total in his unbeaten eight-ball 24.Dhir hammered Mukesh Kumar for two fours and two sixes in a 27-run 19th over and Suryakumar then took on Sri Lankan quick Dushmantha Chameera to finish off with 21 runs in the 20th.- ‘Let it slip’ -“We let it slip in the last two overs,” said Delhi’s stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis, who led after regular captain Axar Patel fell ill.”Momentum is a real thing in cricket. The way they counter-punched to get almost 50 in the last two overs, undoing the work of the first 17-18 overs. We lost that momentum.”Du Plessis said the team missed their Australian import Mitchell Starc, who did not return after the IPL resumed following the pause due to the conflict between India and Pakistan.The IPL restarted last Saturday with a revised schedule, which has forced overseas players to revisit their season plans.Tilak Varma contributed with 27 in a 55-run partnership with Suryakumar to lift Mumbai after their top three departed early.Rohit fell to Mustafizur Rahman in the third over, and was soon followed back into the clubhouse by Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton.Rohit, who was recently honoured by having a stand in the stadium named after him, had some of his fans wearing whites in a tribute to the former captain’s recent Test retirement.Delhi were never in the chase after Du Plessis fell for six in the second over.Former New Zealand international Trent Boult raised the noise of the home crowd when he got the in-form KL Rahul caught behind for 11 and soon Jacks sent back Abishek Porel for a single figures score.Wickets kept tumbling and Santner took two in one over to flatten the opposition batting, which lasted for just 18.2 overs.

A suspected suicide bomber targeted a schoolbus in southwestern Pakistan killing at least four children and two adults on Wednesday, in an attack the government accused India of backing.The bus driver and his assistant were among those killed in the attack in Khuzdar district of Balochistan province, on the way to a school that caters to the children of army personnel and civilians living in the area.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused arch-rival India of backing the militants that carried out the attack, coming almost two weeks after the two sides settled a ceasefire to end their most serious conflict in decades.”Terrorists operating under Indian patronage attacking innocent children on a school bus is clear evidence of their hostility,” his statement added.The military also said in a statement that the attack was “planned and orchestrated” by India.The nuclear-armed neighbours regularly trade accusations that the other supports militant groups operating in their territory.The four-day conflict earlier this month was sparked by an attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that India accused Pakistan of backing, for which it took revenge. Pakistan denied any involvement in the attack.New Delhi’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that “India rejects the baseless allegations”, adding that it was “second nature” for Pakistan to blame India. – ‘Probe suggests suicide bombing’ -No group has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing.Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan province said four children, the bus driver and his assistant were killed.”A bus carrying children of the APS (Army Public School) was targeted with a bomb, the nature of which is still being determined,” Yasir Iqbal Dashti, a senior local government official in Khuzdar district, told AFP.”The initial probe suggests it was a suicide bombing,” he added.A senior police official confirmed the death toll to AFP on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media, adding that more than two dozen people were wounded.The military earlier put the death toll at five, including three children, in a statement to media.Images shared on social media showed the shattered remains of a school bus and a pile of school bags nearby.The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is the most active militant group in the region where there has been a sharp rise in attacks, mostly targeting security forces or people from outside the region. In March, dozens of militants and off-duty security force members died when the BLA took control of a train with hundreds of passengers on board.In 2014, the Army Public School in Peshawar in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was attacked by Pakistan Taliban gunmen who killed more than 150 people — mostly students.The horrific attack sparked a massive crackdown against militancy that had thrived for years in the border regions.

Pakistan dropped stars Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on Wednesday as they named a new-look squad for three home Twenty20 internationals against Bangladesh.Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson will take charge for the first time after being appointed last week, replacing Aaqib Javed.Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan as they look towards next year’s Twenty20 World Cup, to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.Fast bowler Shaheen had played in Pakistan’s last T20 series in New Zealand in March, but batsmen Azam and Rizwan were omitted for the second consecutive T20 series after being criticised for slow scoring.”The squad has been selected based on players’ performances in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, which concludes on May 25,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.Shaheen has taken 12 wickets for Lahore Qalandars in 10 PSL matches at an economy rate of 8.20.Opener Sahibzada Farhan earned a recall after topping the PSL batting charts with 394 runs. Batsmen Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman return after missing the New Zealand tour with injuries.Fast bowler Hasan Ali is back after being sidelined with multiple injuries since May last year.The PCB said that the matches, which have been affected by a 10-day delay to the PSL caused by the deadly India-Pakistan conflict, will be held in Lahore on May 28, 30 and June 1.Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub

India’s Asiatic lion population has increased by over a third to 891, according to a five-yearly census released on Wednesday, boosting efforts to conserve the vulnerable species.The Asiatic lion — which historically once roamed from the Middle East to India — is now reduced to an isolated population in a wildlife sanctuary in India’s western state of Gujarat.”The Asiatic lion population, which was 304 in 1995, has increased steadily over the past three decades,” Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel told reporters. “In 2020 it was 674, which has now increased to 891.”The majestic big cats are slightly smaller than their African cousins, and have a fold of skin along their bellies.Hunting and human encroachment caused the population to plunge to just 20 by 1913, and the lions are now found only in Gujarat’s sprawling Gir wildlife sanctuary, where they roam dry deciduous forests and open grasslands.Following years of concerted government efforts, the lion population is steadily rising.The latest counting exercise, spread over four days, covered over 35,000 square kilometres (13,513 square miles) across 11 districts in the state.Priyavrat Gadhvi, a former member of the state wildlife board, said the increase indicated a successful conservation programme.”Another important factor here is the political will and support of the local people living near the forest areas,” Gadhvi said. “They together have helped in conservation of the species.”But while numbers are rising, the conservation organisation WWF warns that the Asiatic lion faces a “threat of genetic inbreeding arising from a single population in one place”.Lions are a source of pride for India, particularly in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region, where man and beast coexist.A cattle-rearing tribe lives among the animals in the sanctuary, and it is not uncommon to see a pride of lions crossing a highway in the region as motorists wait and watch. Lions are also a major tourist attraction, along with leopards, panthers and other big cats found in the sanctuary.Around 550,000 people visit the wildlife park each year, riding in open-top jeeps as they try to spot the predators prowling.Since the Asiatic lion currently exists as a single subpopulation, it is vulnerable to extinction from events such as an epidemic or a large forest fire.

A British team of veteran ex-special forces soldiers summited Everest on Wednesday, expedition organisers said, in a bid to fly from London, climb the highest peak and return home within seven days.Four men including government minister Alistair Carns left London on Friday pre-acclimatised to the low oxygen at high altitudes — including using xenon gas, a method that raised eyebrows in the mountaineering community.The men, who slept in special low-oxygen tents before departure from Britain, are raising funds for veterans’ charities.”All four of them, along with a photographer and five Sherpa team reached the summit this morning at 7:10 am,” expedition organiser Lukas Furtenbach, of Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures, told AFP.The team, which also includes Garth Miller, Anthony Stazicker and Kevin Godlington, are now descending from the 8,849-metre (29,000-foot) peak.”They will descend to the base camp by evening and weather permitting will be back home within seven days,” Furtenbach said.The team is raising money for children whose parents were killed in conflict.”I’ve seen, on multiple operations in Afghanistan, individuals who haven’t returned,” Carns, 45, who carried out five tours of Afghanistan, said before his departure.Carns, a colonel in the Royal Marine Reserves, is the most highly decorated British lawmaker since World War II.- ‘Climb higher faster’ -The men are not the fastest to ascend Everest — that record is held by Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who climbed from base camp to the summit in 10 hours and 56 minutes in 2003.But expedition leader Miller, a commercial airline pilot, said it was a “new way of climbing 8,000-metre peaks”.Speaking before the ascent, he said they used “the latest sports science” to hone their physical preparation to allow them to “climb higher faster”.For decades the dream of reaching the summit of Mount Everest has required at least two months on the mountain doing a series of acclimatisation rotations.But the team took a different route, heading directly to Everest’s base camp on Saturday by helicopter, straight after arriving from London.Areas above 8,000 metres are known as the “death zone” because thin air and low oxygen levels heighten the risk of altitude sickness.They pre-acclimatised at home using hypoxic tents and special training techniques, before being administered xenon gas two weeks before departure.The World Anti-Doping Agency banned the use of xenon in 2014, saying it could illegally enhance the performance of athletes.- Criticism -Furtenbach said xenon allows faster climbs and decreases the risk of altitude sickness.”I was looking for new ways of acclimatising,” Furtenbach told AFP.Inhaling the gas prompts the production of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) in the body, which encourages the formation of oxygen-carrying red blood cells to improve performance.”You can say that xenon inhalation mimics the effects of a classical rotation to high altitude,” said Michael Fries, a German doctor who works with Furtenbach.In January the medical commission at the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation -– the umbrella group for mountaineering organisations -– cautioned against using xenon.”There is no evidence that breathing in xenon improves performance in the mountains and inappropriate use can be dangerous,” it said.It also comes at a financial cost, with the climb costing an estimated $170,000 per person, according to Furtenbach, several times higher than the slower expeditions. Some have been critical of the use of xenon.”Mostly I view it as a stunt,” said Adrian Ballinger, who runs US-based Alpenglow Expeditions, a company that has worked to develop accelerated acclimatisation methods.”To me, those things take away from what makes climbing Mount Everest unique, which is the unknown outcome and the fact that each person on the mountain is pushed to their emotional, physical and mental limits.”Furtenbach, who has tested the gas on mountain climbs since 2020, said he hoped that the expedition would help normalise xenon to become “part of a standard safety protocol for high-altitude mountaineering”.

Pakistan dropped stars Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on Wednesday as they named a new-look squad for three home Twenty20 internationals against Bangladesh.Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson will take charge for the first time after being appointed last week, replacing Aaqib Javed.Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan as they look towards next year’s Twenty20 World Cup, to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.Fast bowler Shaheen had played in Pakistan’s last T20 series in New Zealand in March, but batsmen Azam and Rizwan were omitted for the second consecutive T20 series after being criticised for slow scoring.”The squad has been selected based on players’ performances in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, which concludes on May 25,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.Shaheen has taken 12 wickets for Lahore Qalandars in 10 PSL matches at an economy rate of 8.20.Opener Sahibzada Farhan earned a recall after topping the PSL batting charts with 394 runs. Batsmen Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman return after missing the New Zealand tour with injuries.Fast bowler Hasan Ali is back after being sidelined with multiple injuries since May last year.The PCB said that the series match schedule, which has been affected by a 10-day delay to the PSL caused by the deadly India-Pakistan conflict, will be announced soon with all three matches to be held in Lahore. Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub