Pakistan will pull out of Asia Cup if ACC shifts tournament due to India's objection: Ramiz Raja
Rawalpindi, Dec 2: Pakistan will pull out of the Asia Cup if Asian Cricket Council decides to shift the tournament, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said on Friday.
In October, Asian Cricket Council president and BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said that India will not travel to Pakistan next year for the 50-over Asia Cup event after which PCB had threatened to pull out of the World Cup scheduled to be held in India.
Talking to the media personnel during the second day of the first Test against England, Ramiz said Pakistan would not accept the Asia Cup being moved out of Pakistan only because India could not tour the country.
"If that is the case if India cannot come to Pakistan, then we also have the option of not playing in the Asia Cup at all," he said.
India had last toured Pakistan in the year 2008 for the Asia Cup ODI event.
Ramiz had earlier threatened that Pakistan might not tour India for next year's World Cup if India continued to avoid touring Pakistan for any reason.
"Yes that is also there. We have options before us because frankly speaking, I don't see the point of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) awarding us hosting rights of the Asia Cup when India is not going to come."
He noted that the Asia Cup would lose a lot of revenue if India versus pakistan matches are not held.
The former Pakistan captain said that as a player, he had toured India and got a lot of respect and love from the Indian people and even after retirement he went there as commentator for IPL matches.
"Something needs to be done about this impasse but we look at this way that the Asia Cup is a multi-nation event and not a bilateral series between Pakistan and India. The two teams have been playing against each other in ACC and ICC events so why are there any problems for India to play in Pakistan."
He pointed out that all big teams were now playing in Pakistan and every effort was made to make them feel comfortable and give them the best state level security.
"I don't know what will happen if India will come or not but we don't want the tournament moved out of Pakistan. If that happens, we will look at pulling out of the event altogether," he added.
Ramiz also said that the BCCI started this issue by giving a statement India would not tour Pakistan and he was forced to respond.
India has not played any bilateral Test cricket with Pakistan since 2007 while their last bilateral white ball series was held in the winter of 2012.
The BCCI will need sanction from the Indian government in order to travel to Pakistan.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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