Shoaib Akhtar urges Pakistani fans to back India against England
New Delhi, June 30: Ahead of the India-England clash in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup, former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has urged his countrymen to back the Men in Blue against the hosts on Sunday.
"So I want the whole of Pakistan to back India, on social media and when it comes to public news. Because we need England to be out of this tournament," Akhtar said in a video on his Youtube channel said.
After its three-wicket win over Afghanistan, Pakistan has moved to the fourth place in the points-table, pushing hosts England to the fifth spot in the World Cup. The Green Brigade will now face Bangladesh in their final and most crucial group match if they want to enter into the semis. However, only a win for the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side won't be enough as Pakistan should also hope that both England and Bangladesh lose their remaining matches to cement their semi-finals berth.
In the video Akhtar said: "Very odd, that as a Pakistani I'm saying this and requesting all Pakistanis living in the country and abroad - please support whoever you think is right. But another option - you drink their waters, so you better support them. You live in England, so support England. You eat in England, so support England. However, as Pakistanis in Pakistan, we want Pakistan to qualify. If England get knocked out and Pakistan win against Bangladesh, the way will open up for us."
Akhtar also said that he would love to see an India vs Pakistan semi-final at the World Cup, and even anticipated Sarfaraz Ahmed and company reaching the summit clash of the quadrennial tournament.
"And if India top the points table, and Pakistan finish fourth, the semi-final would be between the two teams. I want to see this match. The entire world wants to see this match. I know that Pakistan will ruin India''s happiness in the semi-finals because somehow we''re going to manage to reach the finals," Akhtar concluded.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
