India welcomes Pakistan election verdict, hopes new government will build South Asia free of terror
New Delhi, July 28: Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday emerged as the single largest party in the general elections, winning 116 National Assembly seats out of the contested 270 parliamentary constituencies.
India on Saturday said it “welcomed” the verdict in Pakistan’s national elections, hoping the that new government in the neighbouring country will work towards prosperity and peace.
“We welcome that the people of Pakistan have reposed their faith in democracy through general elections,” an external affairs ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday emerged as the single largest party in the general elections, winning 116 National Assembly seats out of the contested 270 parliamentary constituencies, according to the election commission’s final results. PTI is short of the 137 needed for a simple majority.
“India desires a prosperous and progressive Pakistan at peace with its neighbours. We hope that the new Government of Pakistan will work constructively to build a safe, stable, secure and developed South Asia free of terror and violence,” the statement said.
Khan, a vocal critic of the US, has said he would fix governance issues and Pakistan’s ailing economy, reset relations with US and work for peace with India.
“I really want to fix our ties, you take one step forward, we will take two,” Khan had said in a televised victory speech in Islamabad on Thursday. In that speech, he had also singled out Kashmir as a “hurdle” in relations.
The final announcement of results of the parliamentary polls held on July 25 has been marred by delays, causing anger among the leaders of losing parties which levelled allegations of fraud.
Thirteen independent candidates have also won and would play important roles as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) needs their support to form the government at the Centre.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
