DAWN Editorials - 27th May 2025

[zarnishhayat]

Qalandars triumph

A PAKISTAN Super League season that had to be halted and then restarted, losing some star power in the process, delivered the most gripping climax. The numbers speak for themselves: Lahore Qalandars’ incredible chase saw them break the record for achieving the highest target in a final of a Twenty20 tournament. And in an intriguing final — that went down to the penultimate ball — the Qalandars found new heroes. Chief among them was Pakistan-born Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza. Raza was on national duty, playing for Zimbabwe in a Test against England in Nottingham that finished only on Saturday. He made a mad dash to Lahore, arriving 10 minutes before the toss in Sunday’s final and duly hit the winning runs after a late blitz. Then there was Kusal Perera, the Sri Lankan who only came into the Qalandars side for their last four matches of the season after their big-name foreign players refused to return after the PSL’s week-long postponement due to the India-Pakistan conflict. After his half century in the eliminator against Islamabad United took Qalandars to the final, Perera was at it again with a nerveless 62 off just 31 balls. Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi led from the front, getting back to his lethal best with the ball while Mohammad Naeem and Abdullah Shafique made valuable contributions with the bat.

All in all, the Qalandars won as a team, their players turning up at clutch moments to deliver their third PSL title in four years. For the Gladiators, it was a game they let slip after being the best team throughout the tournament. They had Qalandars on the ropes with 57 runs needed off the last 20 deliveries, only to lose their heads as Perera and Raza launched a stunning late charge. The Gladiators showed they are a team primed to end their trophy drought and that they will be back. The grandstand finish, meanwhile, means fans can’t wait for the next season of the PSL to begin.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2025


Qalandars triumph

A PAKISTAN Super League season that had to be halted and then restarted, losing some star power in the process, delivered the most gripping climax. The numbers speak for themselves: Lahore Qalandars’ incredible chase saw them break the record for achieving the highest target in a final of a Twenty20 tournament. And in an intriguing final — that went down to the penultimate ball — the Qalandars found new heroes. Chief among them was Pakistan-born Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza. Raza was on national duty, playing for Zimbabwe in a Test against England in Nottingham that finished only on Saturday. He made a mad dash to Lahore, arriving 10 minutes before the toss in Sunday’s final and duly hit the winning runs after a late blitz. Then there was Kusal Perera, the Sri Lankan who only came into the Qalandars side for their last four matches of the season after their big-name foreign players refused to return after the PSL’s week-long postponement due to the India-Pakistan conflict. After his half century in the eliminator against Islamabad United took Qalandars to the final, Perera was at it again with a nerveless 62 off just 31 balls. Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi led from the front, getting back to his lethal best with the ball while Mohammad Naeem and Abdullah Shafique made valuable contributions with the bat.

All in all, the Qalandars won as a team, their players turning up at clutch moments to deliver their third PSL title in four years. For the Gladiators, it was a game they let slip after being the best team throughout the tournament. They had Qalandars on the ropes with 57 runs needed off the last 20 deliveries, only to lose their heads as Perera and Raza launched a stunning late charge. The Gladiators showed they are a team primed to end their trophy drought and that they will be back. The grandstand finish, meanwhile, means fans can’t wait for the next season of the PSL to begin.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2025


Diplomatic blitzkrieg

AFTER facing off on the battlefield, Pakistan and India are now fighting a battle of narratives, with each side sending high-level delegations to world capitals to communicate their respective points of view regarding the recent hostilities.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in Turkiye on Sunday as part of a four-nation tour that will also see him travelling to Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. Meanwhile, current and former lawmakers and diplomats are due to leave for the US and Europe.

Ex-foreign minister and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari may reportedly lead one of these delegations. The team visiting the US is scheduled to meet the UN secretary general, American lawmakers, as well as engage with think tanks and the media in Washington DC. An Indian team, led by lawmaker and former UN official Shashi Tharoor, has visited the US as part of New Delhi’s lobbying efforts.

Personal interactions have considerable influence in the conduct of diplomatic relations, which is why the PM himself is leading delegations to friendly regional states.

Similarly, senior lawmakers with experience in foreign affairs are being dispatched to the US. The fact is that in the current circumstances, Pakistan has strong talking points. While the Indian side may try to spin the details, the fact is that New Delhi started blaming Pakistan for the Pahalgam atrocity very soon after the killings, without a shred of evidence. India has yet to share the details of any alleged Pakistani role with this country, or the international community.

Secondly, India initiated hostilities with Operation Sindoor; Pakistan’s response in the shape of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos was defensive. Such recklessness in a nuclear neighbourhood reflects a highly irresponsible attitude on India’s part.

Moreover, India’s threats regarding the Indus Waters Treaty violate a bilateral agreement that cannot be altered unilaterally, and by threatening to stop Pakistan’s share of water, India is creating a fresh cause for conflict in South Asia. All these points should be amplified by Pakistan’s delegations abroad.

While Pakistan must defend itself as staunchly in the diplomatic arena as it did in the battlefield, ultimately, for there to be peace in the subcontinent, both states must sit down and talk about their differences.

India is unlikely to favour negotiations at the current juncture, as elements within the ruling party and media have whipped up war hysteria and anti-Pakistan feelings in the population. But in the long run, without a structured peace process in South Asia, the only alternative is more hostility.

New Delhi may loathe foreign involvement in its disputes with Pakistan — consider the hysterical reaction to Donald Trump’s claims of mediating the ceasefire. But foreign powers are unlikely to sit back and watch if tensions climb to the stage where there is talk of the unthinkable: a nuclear exchange.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2025