Web Desk/AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani opener Sahibzada Farhan on Tuesday said that the match against India was on and the team was in a &ldquo;confident mood&rdquo; to &ldquo;give a strong performance,&rdquo; a day after the government <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-agrees-to-play-india-in-icc-t20-world-cup-match-following-requests" style="color:#0073e6;">decided</a> to play against the neighbors to protect the spirit of cricket and support the continuity.&nbsp; Pakistan&#39;s decision to go ahead with the match was hailed on Tuesday as &quot;good for cricket.&quot; The government late on Monday ended a week-long stand-off by rescinding its order for the cricket team to <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-departs-for-t20-world-cup-will-not-play-against-india" style="color:#0073e6;">boycott</a> the February 15 match. After scoring 73 in the country&rsquo;s second win of the tournament in Colombo, Farhan said, &ldquo;The match is on, and we are in a confident mood.&quot; &quot;We will give a strong performance,&quot; Farhan said. Separately, India&rsquo;s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said it was &ldquo;great [&hellip;] the game is back on,&rdquo; adding that they had never changed the preparation. India will face a second Group A match against Namibia on Thursday in New Delhi before flying to Sri Lanka. &quot;It&#39;s going to be a challenge going to Colombo,&quot; Ten Doeschate said. &quot;We are delighted to have another chance to play against a quality side in the first phase of the tournament.&rdquo; &quot;We are fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture.&quot; Pakistan warmed up for the clash in perfect fashion with a second win in Colombo on Tuesday, by 32 runs against the USA. &nbsp;A frantic weekend of <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/icc-delegation-to-meet-pcb-over-indiapakistan-t20-clash" style="color:#0073e6;">negotiations</a> saw International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chiefs fly to Lahore on Sunday for talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).&nbsp; The governments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka both wrote to the Islamabad government on Monday, <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-requests-pakistan-to-play-india-t20-world-cup-match-on-feb-15" style="color:#0073e6;">urging</a>&nbsp;it to change its <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/sri-lanka-urge-pakistan-to-reconsider-india-game-boycott" style="color:#0073e6;">stance</a> and allow the game to go ahead. &#39;Spirit of cricket&#39;&nbsp;After &quot;multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15,&quot; the Islamabad government said on its official X account late Monday night. The decision had been taken with the aim of &quot;protecting the spirit of cricket,&quot; it added. Former India cricketer Madan Lal told AFP on Tuesday that it was &quot;good for cricket.&rdquo; &quot;We want strong teams to play so that the charm of the World Cup is not lost,&quot; he added. Sri Lanka, which will host the match that generates multi-millions of dollars in advertising, broadcast rights, sponsorship and tourism, also praised the decision. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in a social media post, thanked Pakistan&#39;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for &quot;ensuring the game we all love goes on.&quot; Veteran Indian journalist Pradeep Magazine told AFP, &quot;good sense has prevailed on all sides.&quot; &quot;Everyone realized that losing the revenue from an India&ndash;Pakistan match would have been a loss-loss situation for all ICC member nations.&quot; The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up. Bangladesh, who refused to play in India citing security concerns, were replaced by Scotland. As a protest, the Pakistan government ordered the team not to face co-hosts India in the Group A fixture. Pakistan, who won against the Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, would have conceded two points if it had forfeited the match. Pakistan will play all its T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka as part of an International Cricket Council deal that ensures the two nations only meet on neutral territory.

Cricket

Pakistan's decision to go ahead with the match hailed as "good for cricket"; after scoring 73 in the country’s second win of the tournament in Colombo, Farhan says, “match is on, and we are in a confident mood."



Pakistan ready for ‘strong performance’ against India after T20 World Cup decision 

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: A majority of Pakistanis are entering 2026 with significantly higher expectations for economic prosperity and global peace than their neighbors in India, defying global trends of pessimism, according to a new survey. The &ldquo;End of Year Survey&rdquo; by the Gallup International Association highlights a distinct divergence in South Asian sentiment. While India records higher levels of general hope for the new year, Pakistan has outperformed its eastern neighbor on specific measures of economic confidence and expectations for a more peaceful world. Economic outlook On the specific question of economic prosperity, Pakistan has emerged as a regional outlier. The poll found that 53% of Pakistani respondents believe 2026 will be a year of economic prosperity, compared with just 39% in India. This confidence is particularly striking when viewed against the global backdrop. The world average for economic optimism sits at just 24%, meaning Pakistan&rsquo;s positive sentiment is more than double the international norm. <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/f2a731dd-9f22-43c9-9612-7ab420f1a973-1.png" alt="1.png" class="fr-dib fr-fil"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic" style="line-height: 2;">Source: Gallup International End of Year Survey 2026</figcaption> The contrast deepens when looking at the overall balance of opinion. Instead of just counting the optimists, the survey calculates a &quot;net score&quot; by subtracting the pessimists. In Pakistan, the hopeful outnumber the fearful by a solid margin of 26 percentage points. In comparison, India&rsquo;s lead is much slimmer, with optimists exceeding pessimists by only 13 points. &quot;Overall, the findings indicate that economic sentiment in Pakistan is notably stronger than both the global average and India, despite widespread global economic pessimism,&quot; the report noted. Hope for peace Pakistan&rsquo;s lead is even more pronounced regarding global stability. According to the data, 52% of Pakistanis expect the world to be more peaceful in 2026. In sharp contrast, only 26% of respondents in India share this view, a figure that aligns with the low global average.<img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/53d2c3d6-227f-4671-85dd-dad3f3256dfd-2.png" alt="2.png" class="fr-dib fr-fil"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic" style="line-height: 2;">Source: Gallup International End of Year Survey 2026</figcaption> The divide is starkest when weighing hope against fear. While Pakistan remains firmly in positive territory (+31%), India actually slides into the negative. There, the pessimists outnumber the optimists by 9 points, meaning more Indians expect the world to become &quot;more troubled&quot; than &quot;more peaceful.&quot; General hope While Pakistan leads on specific economic and peace metrics, the survey indicates that India holds a stronger sense of general hope for the year ahead. When asked simply if 2026 will be generally &quot;better&quot; than 2025, 59% of respondents in India said yes, compared to 51% in Pakistan. However, the report noted that Pakistan&rsquo;s outlook remains resilient; its 51% optimism rate places it well above the global average of 37%. Drivers of optimism The surge in Pakistani optimism appears to be primarily driven by younger demographics. The report details that optimism is concentrated among those aged 18-34, while older age groups expressed more caution regarding the coming year. This year&#39;s figures represent a significant rebound in public sentiment. The report describes the current optimism as one of the highest recorded since tracking began in 1994, comparable only to peaks seen in the late 1990s and mid-2010s. Methodology The findings for Pakistan are based on a sample of 1,000 respondents interviewed via Random Digit Dialling across all four provinces by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of the Gallup International Association. Globally, the survey interviewed 59,636 people across 60 countries.

Economy

Defying global pessimism, Pakistan outpaces India in economic and peace optimism for 2026, marking a significant rebound in national confidence.

Pakistan outpaces India in economic and peace optimism for 2026: Global survey

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s 2025 monsoon season killed more than 1,000 people and affected nearly 7 million others, with climate scientists determining the extreme rainfall was approximately 12% more intense than it would have been without human-induced climate change, according to a report released by Christian Aid. The &ldquo;Counting the Cost 2025&quot; annual report noted how the floods, which struck Pakistan between June and September, submerged 1.3 million acres of crops and caused $1.4 billion in agricultural losses alone. The monsoon rains damaged 12,500 homes, washed away 240 bridges, and killed at least 6,500 livestock, according to the report. More than 600 kilometers (375 miles) of roads were damaged. &quot;These climate disasters are a warning of what lies ahead if we do not accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels,&quot; the Christian Aid&#39;s Chief Executive, Patrick Watt, said in the report&#39;s foreword. The climate attribution finding came from a World Weather Attribution study cited in the Christian Aid report, which analyzed how human-caused global warming intensified the monsoon rainfall. Torrential rains triggered deadly floods, landslides, and flash floods throughout the country, with rivers overflowing and thousands of towns submerged, according to the report. Entire communities were displaced, particularly in vulnerable regions. The monsoon season, combined with glacial floods and riverine inundation, created catastrophic conditions across Pakistan, according to Christian Aid. The agricultural losses hit particularly hard in a country where the sector is critical to millions of livelihoods. Pakistan&#39;s disaster was part of a broader India-Pakistan monsoon season that killed at least 1,860 people across both countries and caused up to $6 billion in combined damage, ranking as the fifth most expensive climate disaster globally in 2025, according to the Christian Aid report. Christian Aid stated that the cost figures often exclude forms of loss that are difficult to quantify, &quot;such as damages to livelihoods, lost income, long-term damage to the environment, and permanent displacement of residents.&quot; &quot;As a result, the true toll of disasters is almost certainly far higher than the insured losses suggested,&quot; the report stated. Scientists have linked the extremity of monsoon seasons to human-driven climate change, estimating that for every degree of warming, monsoon rains will likely increase by around 5%, according to research cited in the Christian Aid report. &quot;Warmer oceans and atmosphere supercharge evaporation, increasing atmospheric moisture and fueling heavier downpours,&quot; the report stated. These conditions also accelerate the melting of glaciers and permafrost, &quot;further amplifying the risk of floods and landslides.&quot; Pakistan&#39;s monsoon occurred during what Christian Aid characterized as &quot;a year of climate breakdown.&rdquo; The report noted that &quot;some of the most devastating extreme weather events in 2025 hit poorer nations, which have contributed little to causing the climate crisis and have the least resources to respond.&quot; Christian Aid&#39;s&nbsp;Watt said Pakistan exemplified how &quot;the poorest communities are first and worst affected&quot; by climate breakdown. &quot;They also underline the urgent need for adaptation, particularly in the global South, where resources are stretched, and people are especially vulnerable to climate shocks,&quot; Watt said. The Director of Nairobi-based energy and climate think tank Power Shift Africa, said wealthy nations count financial costs while &quot;millions of people across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean are counting lost lives, homes and futures.&quot; &quot;In 2026, governments must stop burying their heads in the sand and start responding with real support for the people on the frontlines &mdash; through scaled-up finance for those in need and faster emissions reductions,&quot; he said in a statement included in the report. Christian Aid called for urgent action, including emissions cuts, accelerated transition to renewable energy, and increased climate finance for vulnerable communities, particularly through the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. The organization noted that attribution science has advanced to where researchers can now directly link greenhouse gas emissions to specific deadly weather events, with 213 heatwaves this century traced to pollution from major fossil fuel producers, according to research cited in the report. &quot;The suffering caused by the climate crisis is a political choice,&quot; Watt said. &quot;It is being driven by decisions to continue burning fossil fuels, to allow emissions to rise, and to break promises on climate finance.&quot; Thousands of school children affected According to Save the Children, the disaster forced widespread school closures across flood-affected areas, leaving tens of thousands of Pakistani children out of education. The organization identified the Asia floods as one of five major climate disasters in 2025 that disrupted children&#39;s lives. Save the Children and local partners created safe spaces for children in affected areas where they could play, learn, and recover, while also delivering essential aid to affected families, according to the organization&#39;s year-in-review released in late December 2205. The organization said&nbsp;that two million children would avoid experiencing unprecedented lifetime exposure to droughts if global warming could be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, according to the organization&#39;s analysis aligned with the Paris Agreement goals. According to Save the Children data spanning 30 years, climate disasters have cost the world more than $122 billion globally. It has affected an estimated 136,000 children daily.

Climate & Environment

Scientists link human-caused warming to intensified rainfall, as floods submerged 1.3 million acres of crops and destroyed 12,500 homes.

7 million displaced: Climate change made Pakistan's monsoon 12% deadlier in 2025

KATUNAYAKE: Blind women from India and Pakistan brushed aside political tensions on Sunday, shaking hands in neutral Sri Lanka at a cricket tournament for the visually impaired. At what organizers describe as the world&rsquo;s first blind women&rsquo;s T20 tournament, players from the two South Asian neighbours showed they had sporting vision even if they lacked sight -- unlike their regular national teams.&nbsp; Tensions off and on the field have been high since a deadly military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. India&rsquo;s men refused to shake hands with their Pakistani opponents at the Asia Cup in September, since then neither side has shown signs of making up. That animosity spread to the women&#39;s sides who declined any greeting at the recent T20 World Cup and also to Sunday&#39;s men&#39;s Rising Stars Asia Cup tie in Doha. India&rsquo;s blind players were expected to mirror the conduct of their sighted teams when there was no handshake after the toss, but at the end of the match both sides warmly greeted each other. The two sides, who travelled to the venue together in the same bus, not only shook hands but also exchanged generous compliments. India won by eight wickets in just 10.2 overs after Pakistan were restricted to 135 for eight in their 20 overs at the Free Trade Zone grounds in Katunayake, 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Colombo. Pakistan skipper Nimra Rafique congratulated India on their comprehensive victory, while her Indian counterpart TC Deepika said Pakistan had played well. The teams applauded one another loudly but neither set of players was permitted to talk to the press. Biggest opportunityThere were hardly any spectators but the match was shown live on Sri Lanka&#39;s national television, Rupavahini. Blind Sri Lankan officials hosting the tournament &ldquo;watched&rdquo; the match on YouTube by listening to the commentary. Indian team manager Shika Shetty told AFP before the match that the tournament was opening up opportunities for more women. &ldquo;This is the first-ever World Cup for blind women... I think this is one of the biggest opportunities for our entire visually impaired girls,&rdquo; said Shetty, who is not blind. &ldquo;Maybe many girls with disabilities will come out from their villages. Maybe they will come for studies, maybe they will come for the sport. So it is helpful for other girls too.&quot; Blind cricket relies on a sharp ear, as players must detect a white plastic ball -- the size of a tennis ball -- filled with ball bearings that rattle as it moves. Pakistan coach Tahir Mehmood Butt, also speaking before the game, said the launch of women&#39;s blind cricket had created new opportunities for young players in Pakistan. &ldquo;For the totally blind, if they have good hearing, they can become good cricketers,&rdquo; Tahir told AFP. Each team must field at least four completely blind players, three who can see up to two metres, and four partially sighted players able to see up to about six metres. Totally blind batters may have a partially sighted runner. Bowling is underarm, unlike in the traditional game. Four other nations - Australia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the US -- are competing in the tournament which began in India and moved to Sri Lanka for the final stages. The final is scheduled for next Sunday in Colombo.

Pakistan's captain Nimra Rafique (3R) shakes hands with India's players

Blind women cricketers from India and Pakistan set aside political tensions at the world’s first blind women’s T20 tournament in Sri Lanka, promoting sportsmanship and opening new opportunities for visually impaired girls across South Asia.

Blind women cricketers from India, Pakistan show spirit with handshakes

Syed Ahmed Raza

ISLAMABAD: Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated following a recent surge in cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghanistan.&nbsp;Islamabad accuses the Taliban-led government in Kabul of sheltering banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists and allowing them to operate freely in Afghanistan &mdash; a charge Afghan authorities deny.&nbsp;During a recent official visit to India, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi reiterated Kabul&#39;s denial of TTP presence in the country. His statement came just days after TTP terrorists ambushed a Pakistani military convoy in the northwestern Orakzai District, killing 11 soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel and a major.&nbsp;Soon after, the TTP launched coordinated cross-border assaults on Pakistani military posts, exposing what security analysts describe as a growing nexus between the Afghan Taliban and the TTP.&nbsp;In response, Pakistani forces carried out precision strikes targeting TTP and Daesh hideouts inside Afghanistan, reportedly eliminating more than 200 terrorists.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s consistent goodwill toward KabulPakistan has long supported the Taliban-led government in Kabul. Islamabad was one of the few countries to keep its embassy open after the Taliban&rsquo;s takeover in August 2021 and has consistently advocated for unfreezing Afghanistan&rsquo;s $9 billion in foreign assets.&nbsp;Through regional forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Pakistan repeatedly urged the international community to extend humanitarian and economic support to Afghanistan.&nbsp;Islamabad&rsquo;s approach has long been guided by the belief that a stable and friendly government in Kabul is essential for regional peace and the security of Pakistan&rsquo;s western borders.&nbsp;In this spirit, Pakistan even extended an invitation to Afghanistan to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), envisioning trilateral cooperation with China to bring investment, energy connectivity, and infrastructure development to the war-torn country.&nbsp;Goodwill met with denial and hostilityHowever, officials and observers say this goodwill has largely been met with mistrust and denial from the Afghan side.&nbsp;&ldquo;All Pakistan expected in return was for the Afghan Taliban to take concrete action against TTP terrorists using Afghan territory to attack Pakistan,&rdquo; said retired Air Commodore Khalid Chishti. &ldquo;But instead of cooperation, we are witnessing denial, deflection, and, increasingly, alignment with India.&rdquo;&nbsp;Chishti said the Afghan Taliban&rsquo;s outright denial of TTP&#39;s presence &ldquo;amounts to making fun of themselves.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;The whole world knows the TTP is operating from Afghanistan,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Either the Taliban are part of it or they are helpless. When they claim control over all of Afghanistan yet deny cross-border attacks, it shows either a lack of capacity or will.&rdquo;&nbsp;He added that Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaqi &ldquo;spent much of his youth in Pakistan and served as the Taliban&rsquo;s information minister during their first regime from 1996 to 2001,&rdquo; describing him as &ldquo;someone for whom Pakistan was like a second home.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;This is the same individual once listed as a terrorist&mdash;whom India accused of hijacking its plane&mdash;but now welcomed in New Delhi simply because he shares an anti-Pakistan stance,&rdquo; Chishti noted.&nbsp;India&rsquo;s expanding footprint in AfghanistanThe retired air commodore said India has long used Afghanistan as a strategic pressure point against Pakistan, pouring billions into infrastructure, education, and development projects to gain political leverage.&nbsp;&ldquo;India cannot compete with Pakistan on the eastern border,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So, it funds proxies across the western border&mdash;buying loyalty, outsourcing terrorism, and using the TTP as a rented force.&rdquo;&nbsp;Chishti also cited a 2016 statement attributed to India&rsquo;s current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, in which he reportedly said India would use the Taliban &ldquo;the way we want,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;They are mercenaries. India is a much bigger economy. We will inject more funds, and they will be on our side.&rdquo;&nbsp;He said the statement reflects India&rsquo;s long-standing intent to exploit instability in Afghanistan to its advantage.&nbsp;During the US presence in Afghanistan, Chishti noted, &ldquo;around 2,700 contractors were told to pay protection money to the Taliban&mdash;nearly $47 million per week&mdash;which shows how the group learned to monetize conflict and power.&rdquo;&nbsp;Terrorism data paints grim pictureAccording to data from the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), terrorist attacks in Pakistan surged from 89 in 2021 to 262 in 2022, 306 in 2023, and 521 in 2024. In the first 10 months of 2025 alone, 585 attacks have been recorded&mdash;the highest escalation in recent years.&nbsp;The situation worsened during Pakistan&rsquo;s brief conflict with India in May 2025, when a 40-member TTP group&mdash;including the son of a Taliban official&mdash;reportedly attempted to open a western front against Pakistan. Analysts say this highlights a dangerous convergence between anti-Pakistan groups operating from Afghan territory and external actors seeking to destabilize the region.&nbsp;The latest escalation came after the October 8 attacks in Orakzai and Dera Ismail Khan, which killed 18 security personnel. Pakistan&rsquo;s retaliatory strikes were followed by a terrorist assault on the DI Khan Police Training School by a group linked to the Taliban, killing seven policemen and injuring several others.&nbsp;According to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Pakistan witnessed a 46% rise in violence in the third quarter of 2025, with at least 901 fatalities and 599 injuries in 329 incidents of terrorism and counterterror operations.&nbsp;A looming questionChishti said the growing threat underscores the need for a &ldquo;clearer regional strategy.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;We must protect our borders and people,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But continued tolerance for terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan endangers not just Pakistan&rsquo;s security&mdash;it threatens regional peace and stability as a whole.&rdquo;&nbsp;As Pakistan re-evaluates its policy toward Kabul, one question looms large: Are the Afghan Taliban truly living up to India&rsquo;s expectations&mdash;or merely playing into a dangerous regional game that could consume them next?

Security

Pakistan’s goodwill toward the Afghan Taliban government is straining as TTP attacks surge, fueling suspicions of Indian influence.

Articles tagged with "India Pakistan"

Pakistan ready for ‘strong performance’ against India after T20 World Cup decision

Pakistan outpaces India in economic and peace optimism for 2026: Global survey

7 million displaced: Climate change made Pakistan's monsoon 12% deadlier in 2025

Blind women cricketers from India, Pakistan show spirit with handshakes

TTP resurgence strains Pakistan-Afghanistan ties, fuels suspicions of Indian hand