ICC rejects Pakistan's request to relocate two of their ODI World Cup games in India
Karachi (PTI): All of the objections raised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the schedule and venues for the national team team in the ODI World Cup in India have been rejected by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In the final schedule of the World Cup released on Tuesday by the ICC and BCCI, Pakistan's match against India is scheduled in Ahmedabad as proposed in the draft earlier while PCB's request to switch venues for the matches against Afghanistan and Australia have been ignored.
As per wishes of the Pakistan team management, the PCB had asked ICC and BCCI to reschedule its match against Afghanistan from Chennai to Bengaluru and the game against Australia from Bengaluru to Chennai.
The Pakistan team management had concerns that given the Chepauk's history of helping spinners, it would leave the side at a disadvantage against Afghanistan, who have quality spinners.
But none of Pakistan's objections or requests have been paid heed to and even the semi finals have been scheduled in Mumbai and Kolkata although the PCB has conveyed to the ICC it is not comfortable playing in Mumbai due to political and diplomatic reasons.
The ICC not entertaining Pakistan's request was on expected lines as it usually addresses concerns over venues on potential security threat and not on cricketing grounds.
With the elections for the post of PCB chairman now postponed at least until July 17, it remains to be seen how the board reacts to the World Cup schedule announcement.
An official source however made it clear that the schedule would be sent to the government for clearance.
"Our participation in the World Cup and us playing in Ahmedabad on October 15 or in Mumbai if we qualify for semi-finals will all be dependent on government clearance," he said.
He said until now the government had not issued any NOC to the PCB to travel to India and since it was a sensitive issue the board can only move forward after geting clear directives from its government.
"We have already informed the ICC that our participation in the tournament or any issues over venues is linked to firstly the PCB getting clearance from the government to travel to India," he reminded.
Pakistan last played in India in 2016 in the T20 World Cup.
With the Balochistan High Court issuing a stay order against the holding of elections for the chairman's seat on Monday on petitions filed by two former members of the PCB's cricket management committee, confusion reigns in Pakistan cricket over how it will react to the WC schedule.
At present the board is being run by interim chairman, Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana.
Zaka Ashraf, nominated for the chairman's post, has to win votes of the board of governors to officially take charge of the key post.
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Maharashtra village goes ‘caste-free’, penalties for abuse, 2-hour student “no-phone” period
New Delhi: A village in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar district made an effort to redefine social boundaries through a unanimous gram sabha resolution, with residents of Soundala publicly declaring the village "caste-free" earlier this month.
According to a report published by The Print, during a specially convened gram sabha, a resolution was passed on February 5, which calls for the removal of caste-based distinctions from public and social life. It urges residents to interact only on the basis of shared humanity. It also prohibits inquiries into caste identity and affirms equal access to public spaces, religious places, water sources, schools and government services.
Soundala is located about 350 km from Mumbai. It has a population of around 2,500 across nearly 450 families. Majority of the families belong to upper castes while a significant Dalit population, alongside a small number of Muslim and Christian families also live in the village. While overt discrimination had been declining over the years, residents say the resolution gives formal expression to changes that were gradually taking root.
The initiative was led by village sarpanch Sharad Argade. The Print quoted him as saying that the move was initiated because of rising caste and communal tensions in neighbouring areas of the state and he feared that social divisions seen elsewhere could harden in his own village if left unaddressed.
According to Argade, the idea of declaring Soundala caste-free was discussed over time, influenced by social worker Pramod Zinjade and shaped by his family’s long involvement in local politics. Argade’s wife Priyanka, a former sarpanch, is credited by villagers with playing a key role in challenging social norms through her outreach work, which included visiting homes across caste lines.
The resolution states that Soundala will not differentiate on the basis of caste, religion, creed or colour, and adopts the motto “My caste is humanity." The resolution also warns against social or economic boycotts, communal statements and the circulation of inflammatory content on social media, with provisions for penalties.
After the resolution villagers are sharing food in festivals, visiting each other's houses, and attending community events together. Older residents recall a time when Dalits were forced to sit separately at weddings, use different wells, and stay away from upper-caste houses. Members of the Muslim community also spoke of earlier experiences of exclusion that discouraged social interaction.
Soundala has also introduced penalties for verbal abuse, discouraged discriminatory practices against widows and extended financial support for widow remarriage. The gram panchayat also provides educational support to girls up to Class 12 and enforces a daily two-hour “no mobile phone” period for students to encourage study.
Two months before the caste-free resolution, the village had also adopted a practice of playing the national anthem each morning over a loudspeaker. Argade said it was intended to reinforce a shared civic identity.
Acknowledging that caste remains relevant in government policy, particularly in reservation for education and employment, the sarpanch was quoted by The Print as saying that the aim was to confine caste to official records and remove it from daily behaviour.
