The Pakistan Super League’s 11th edition is planned to be held from March 26 to May 3, 2026, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday, while also announcing that the auction for two proposed new franchises would take place on January 8.
The announcements were made during a PCB investor roadshow in New York, part of an overseas promotional campaign aimed at attracting commercial interest ahead of a potential expansion of the league from six to eight teams.
The PCB has previously indicated that expansion is under consideration, though the addition of new franchises has not yet been formally ratified.
Addressing attendees at the event, Mohsin said the PCB had taken administrative control of the Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium and intended to begin renovation work.
He added that efforts were under way to have the venue ready in time for the PSL, though he acknowledged that completion before the tournament was not guaranteed.
“We are starting Muzaffarabad’s stadium, which we have taken over, and our target is to get it ready before the PSL. If not, then work will be initiated within this year,” he said.
Mohsin also stated that the deadline for submission of bids for the new franchises had been extended to December 22, citing interest from prospective investors.
On Sunday, the PSL trophy was displayed at Times Square, where members of Pakistan’s cricketing diaspora gathered for photographs and brief interactions with players and officials.
The PCB said the event was intended to raise the league’s profile among overseas audiences. Several Pakistan cricketers attended the engagement, including Shan Masood, as well as former players Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja.
The PCB also said members of the current national setup were present, though no official matches or cricketing activities were scheduled as part of the programme. Singer Ali Zafar, who has previously been associated with PSL anthems, was also in attendance.
The New York event followed a similar promotional stop at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London earlier this year. The PCB has described these activities as part of a broader effort to enhance the league’s commercial value and visibility beyond traditional markets.
Launched in 2016, the PSL has grown into Pakistan’s flagship T20 competition, initially staged entirely overseas before returning to home venues in phases.
While the league has attracted international players and broadcasters, it has also faced scheduling challenges due to Pakistan’s crowded international calendar and competition from other T20 leagues.
The PCB has yet to release detailed information regarding venues, player drafts or confirmation of new teams for the 2026 season.
Ukraine has relinquished its aim to join the Nato military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday as peace talks got underway in Berlin.
Zelensky aired the concession as he flew to the German capital, where he began meetings with US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in efforts to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two.
The move marks a major shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join Nato as a safeguard against Russian attacks and has such an aspiration included in its constitution. It also meets one of Russia’s war aims, although Kyiv has so far held firm against ceding territory to Moscow.
Zelensky met the US envoys at talks hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who, a source said, had made brief remarks before leaving the two sides to negotiate. Other European leaders are also due in Germany for talks on Monday.
Security guarantees from the United States, Europe and other partners instead of Nato membership represented a compromise on Ukraine’s side, Zelensky said ahead of Sunday’s discussions.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Nato Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, senior Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany on December 14. — Reuters
“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join Nato; these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” he said in answer to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries, Canada [and] Japan are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Zelensky said.
“And it is already a compromise from our part,” he said, adding that the security guarantees should be legally binding.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine officially renounce its Nato ambitions and withdraw troops from about 10 per cent of Donbas, which Kyiv still controls. Moscow has also said that Ukraine must be a neutral country and that no Nato troops can be stationed there.
Russian sources said earlier this year that Putin wants a “written” pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the US-led Nato alliance eastwards — shorthand for formally ruling out membership to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
Zelensky had earlier called for a “dignified” peace and guarantees that Russia would not attack Ukraine again.
Under pressure from Trump to sign a peace deal that initially backed Moscow’s demands, Zelensky accused Russia of dragging out the war through deadly bombings of cities and Ukraine’s power and water supplies.
Sending Witkoff, who has led negotiations with Ukraine and Russia on a US peace proposal, appeared to be a signal that Washington saw a chance of progress nearly four years after Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Zelensky said Ukraine, the Europeans and the US are looking at a 20-point plan and that at the end of it there is a ceasefire. He said Kyiv has no direct talks with Russia.
A ceasefire along the current front lines would be a fair option, he added.
‘Critical moment’
Britain, France and Germany have been working to refine the US proposals, which in a draft disclosed last month called for Kyiv to cede more territory, abandon its Nato ambitions and accept limits on its armed forces.
European allies have described this as a “critical moment” that could shape Ukraine’s future, and sought to shore up Kyiv’s finances by leveraging frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Kyiv’s military and civilian budget.
Putin hosted Witkoff and Kushner at a meeting earlier in December that the Kremlin praised as “constructive”, although no major breakthroughs were reached.
Zelensky said hundreds of thousands were still without power after Russian strikes on energy, heating and water supplies across Ukraine.
“Russia is dragging out the war and seeks to inflict as much harm as possible on our people,” he said.
Residential buildings during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by recent Russian missile and drone attacks, amid the Russia-Ukraine war, in Odessa, Ukraine on December 14. — Reuters
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused relations with the West to plummet and has cranked up warnings from Nato and European leaders that Putin would not stop there.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a speech in Berlin on Thursday that Nato should be “prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured” and asserted that “we are Russia’s next target”.
The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed such claims.
“This seems like a statement by a representative of a generation that has managed to forget what World War Two was actually like,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin on Sunday.
“They have no understanding, and unfortunately, Mr Rutte, making such irresponsible statements, simply does not understand what he is talking about,” Peskov added.
Three United States military personnel, two soldiers and a civilian interpreter, were killed on Saturday by a suspected Islamic State (IS) attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces, the US military said.
Three other US soldiers were wounded, the US military’s Central Command said.
In a statement, Central Command said the attack by a lone gunman occurred “as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement” in the central Syrian town of Palmyra.
“Partner forces” killed the attacker, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote in a social media post.
IS did not immediately claim responsibility, but a senior US official said initial assessments indicate the militant group probably carried out the attack. It took place in an area not controlled by the Syrian government, the official said.
The soldiers’ names will be withheld until 24 hours after the next-of-kin notification, the US military said.
Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a security source as saying two Syrian service personnel were injured, without providing further details. The source told SANA that American helicopters evacuated the injured to a US base in Syria’s Al-Tanf region near the Iraqi border.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria, condemned the attack.
“We mourn the loss of three brave US service members and civilian personnel and wish a speedy recovery to the Syrian troops wounded in the attack,” Barrack said in a statement.
“We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners.”
The attack came barely a month after Syria announced it had signed a political cooperation agreement with the US-led coalition against IS, which coincided with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House.
The coalition has carried out air strikes and ground operations in Syria targeting IS suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria’s security forces. Syria last month also carried out a nationwide campaign arresting more than 70 people accused of links to the group.
The US has troops stationed in northeastern Syria as part of a decade-long effort to help a Kurdish-led force there.
Congressional Democrats released 19 new images from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, including photos of now-President Donald Trump, as the deadline for an extensive release of documents related to the disgraced financier nears.
Trump is featured in three of the photos shared by House Oversight Committee Democrats, who said they are reviewing more than 95,000 images produced by the estate.
In one black-and-white photo, Trump is seen smiling with several women — whose faces are redacted — on each side of him. A second image shows Trump standing beside Epstein, and a third, less-clear image shows him seated alongside another woman, whose face is also redacted, with his red tie loosened. It was not clear when or where the photos were taken.
“Everybody knew this man,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. “He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, almost — there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him. So that’s no big deal.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Trump’s administration “has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats ever have.
“It’s time for the media to stop regurgitating Democrat talking points and start asking Democrats why they wanted to hang around Epstein after he was convicted,” she said.
Trump fanned Epstein conspiracies
The Epstein scandal has been a political headache for Trump for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters. Many Trump voters believe Trump administration officials have covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019.
The Justice Department said in July that there was no evidence to justify investigating any third parties in the Epstein case, and that it had found no “client list” or people who might have been involved in sex trafficking, or any evidence that Epstein had blackmailed anyone.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that just half of Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the Epstein case, well below his overall 85 per cent approval rating in his own party.
Trump and Epstein were friends during the 1990s and early 2000s, but Trump says he broke off ties before Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution charges.
Trump has consistently denied knowing about Epstein’s abuse and sex trafficking of underage girls.
Other men also shown
Democratic former president Bill Clinton, former Trump aide Steve Bannon, Bill Gates and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers also appear in the batch of images.
This undated photo from the personal collection of Jeffrey Epstein provided by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on December 12, 2025, shows former President Bill Clinton (C) posing with Epstein (R) and Ghislaine Maxwell (2nd-R). — AFP
A spokesperson for the committee, which is led by Republican Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, said Democrats were politicising the investigation by “cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump”.
Democrats said the tens of thousands of photos include “images of the wealthy and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein” and “photographs of women and Epstein properties” and more will be released in the coming days.
“These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, said in a statement. “We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”
The congressional Democrats said they redacted the women’s faces to protect the identities of Epstein’s victims.
The committee is continuing to obtain and release documents even as the US Department of Justice is expected to publicise unclassified Epstein files from its federal investigation late next week.
Trump signed into law last month an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill led by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky that compels the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days. December 19 will mark the end of that window.
THE crisp December air was festive at the KHA Hockey Complex as blue skies played canvas to clouds clouds imitating no less than an artist’s work.
The view above contrasted smoothly with the expanse of the deep blue of the astroturf of the venue, located in the midst of the sprawling Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
As buses honked relentlessly at the ever-bustling Nipa after having swished dust off the perpetually under-construction University Road, hockey took centre stage on the other side of the wall.
It was the day when the gold medal winners for the national sport at the National Games were to be decided.
There were no surprises; it were heavyweights Wapda and Army who added to their already stacked medals table to take the honours in the women’s and men’s finals respectively.
Each achievement was celebrated with maximum zeal, as the announcer shouted his heart out even for the silver medal winners Punjab and Navy.
The screams got louder as Wapda and Army received their gold medals.
It was a second gold for Wapda’s talisman Sidra Mateen, who scored both their goals in their 2-1 victory over Punjab.
Army and Navy players in action during the National Games men’s hockey final at the KHA Complex in Karachi on December 12, 2025.
She had already won a gold medal as a basketball player earlier.
“I started with cricket as most girls do but then stayed where my financial needs were met,” Sidra told Dawn after the final.
The 28-year-old lost the hockey final of the previous edition of the National Games in 2023, as a Punjab player was roped in by Wapda later on.
“As a young athlete, you just want to play anything you can, it’s all about passion,” she said. “But when you grow up, survival is the focus and a job with the department really helps.”
After the women’s final ended and the prizes distributed, the announcer requested the players on the field to “hurry up” off it.
“We have to conduct another match,” he would say, and the Navy and Army players would take on to the turf to warm up.
In no time, the whistle was blown, and the big match got underway. As a sparse crowd of spectators and dignitaries looked on, both sides stayed compact and took a counterattacking approach when the chances arrived.
Wapda players celebrate winning the women’s hockey gold medal.
It was hectic for three of the four quarters in both dugouts as coaches shouted instructions in thick Punjabi accents.
The drought was finally broken when Army scored via their third penalty corner through Mohammad Owais. Navy equalised minutes later from open play, thanks to Samad Habib but their dream for gold was shattered when Owais scored the winner in the dying minutes of the game.
As the Army players chanted, sang and danced, the Navy faces were flat and hanging down with disappointment and sadness.
The announcer was back in action, and the medals were distributed.
As the sun set, it left behind stunning hues of blue and orange in the sky.
The turf below, was now empty. But it had witnessed being part of the coming together of 11,000 athletes from all over the country in this city — the hustle of which continued as buses still honked and dust still rose at the Nipa stop.
Header image:Wapda players celebrate winning the women’s hockey gold medal. — all photos by author
Pakistan’s international stalwarts led the charge as weightlifter Hanzala Dastagir Butt demolished the field to bag gold by a long shot, while badminton star Mahoor Shahzad won the women’s singles for the third time as the competitions drew to a close at the National Games on Friday.
Wapda’s Hanzala made each lift look effortless as a delighted crowd mostly comprised of team-mates and enthusiasts of the sport looked on at the YMCA Scouts Auditorium.
He lifted 157kg in the snatch and 193kg in the clean and jerk to post a massive 350kg total in the men’s 110kg category.
The 23-year-old is already eyeing next year’s Commonwealth Games, where his older brother Nooh Dastigir Butt clinched the +109kg title in record-breaking fashion at the 2022 edition.
“I take inspiration from him that one day I’ll also win a medal for Pakistan at that stage, and set a new record,” Hanzala told Dawn.
Hanzala’s gold was one of four on the men’s side in addition to one silver and bronze medal each to clinch the trophy.
Wapda’s Hanzala Dastagir Butt in action during the men’s clean and jerk in the weightlifting 110kg category on Friday. — Photo via Shakil Adil
“Our win makes me really happy,” team coach Ali Aslam said in a moment reminiscent of his days as a weightlifter, his journey cut short by injury after spending nearly two decades in the sport.
“But all our athletes here are fantastic; Army, HEC. It’s a huge deal that they were runner up, it’s been ages since I saw them have such a solid team,” Ali said of the higher education commission, who won two gold, as many silver and one bronze medal.
Coach Ali credits the team’s triumphs to the athletes’ dedication and a 52-day training camp ahead of the Games.
The appreciation was reciprocated by athletes alike, especially three-time national games athlete Nadia Maqsood, whose eight-year-old son looked at her in awe as she spoke to the media about her accolades.
She won gold in the women’s 86kg and clinched the masters weightlifting title and award for best lifter at an international meet.
Olympian Mahoor, on the other hand, was still getting a hang of juggling motherhood and training; being a multiple-time national champion was a piece of cake for her.
“My daughter is only 18 months now,” Mahoor told Dawn after claiming the women’s singles title. “Even at the international level, players take almost two years off as a maternity break. I made my comeback a bit quicker.”
Mahoor, the event’s poster athlete, fought back from a game down to defeat Army’s Alja Tariq and secure her third National Games gold.
The men’s singles final was an all-Wapda, contentious affair. Irfan Saeed staged a remarkable comeback from behind to down M. Ali Larosh 21-12, 21-19, sealing the match with a controversial line call.
“I think I was destined to win today,“ the 33-year-old Irfan told Dawn, who credited a month-long pre-event camp for his victory and now eyes qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics.
However, Army wrested control in the team events.
The duo of Raja Hasnain and Raja Zulqarnain broke Wapda’s streak to win the men’s doubles gold 21-15, 13-21, 21-15.
Army’s dominance continued as Ammarah Ishtiaq and Alja downed Wapda’s pair of Ghazala Siddique and Mahoor 21-12, 21-13 for the women’s doubles gold.
The mixed doubles title was also secured by Army, with Hasnain and Ammarah giving Larosh his third loss of the day.
The Army duo emerged victorious against Pakistan’s no 2 Larosh and Ghazala 21-19, 21-16.
Elsewhere at the games, Army extended their dominance in table tennis, baseball and men’s hockey, while Wapda shone in women’s events.
Army clinched the overall trophy in table tennis after commanding performances in the singles events.
Hoor Fawad outplayed team-mate and national champion Haiqa Hasan 3-0 in the women’s singles final, dropping just 25 points across the match (12-10, 11-8, 11-7).
In the men’s final, Ahmad Sajid edged past Shah Khan 3-2 after a tense, seesaw battle (8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 12-10).
Punjab earned their share of glory when Owais and Kulsoom secured the mixed doubles gold with a 3-1 win over Wapda’s Asim Qureshi and Sadia.
Army and Pakistan Navy split honours in the shooting events. Navy’s Aqib Latif topped the podium in the men’s 50m 3P rifle individual event, but Army responded strongly by claiming the team gold through the trio of Mohammad Uzman, Din Muhammad and Sarfraz Gul.
Army continued their surge as Umer Farooq captured the 25m centre fire pistol individual title, though Navy hit back with Maqbool Hussain, Abdul Quddus and Zafar Iqbal taking the team gold in the same discipline.
Army’s Farrukh Nadeem secured the double trap individual crown before pairing with Amir and Junaid to seal the team gold as well.
Army further consolidated their medal haul by defeating Wapda 9-7 in the baseball final at NED University.
In a high-scoring contest, Army held their nerve in the closing stages to complete yet another successful campaign.
Clinching the men’s hockey title widened their tally after a tense 2-1 win over Navy at the KHA Hockey Stadium.
Mohammad Owais scored both goals for Army — first converting a penalty corner in the 45th minute before netting the decisive field goal in the 58th, shortly after Navy had equalised through Essa Khan.
PAF found glory at the KPT Stadium in the football final, with Samad Khan’s goal separating them and Pakistan Army.
The tournament’s top-scorer netted the winner in the second half, getting on the end of a long ball that he let bounce before leaping highest to meet it with a header with the loop taking it over the goalkeeper and the despairing dive of an Army defender.
“I hope my performances here and the National Games gold pave the way for national team reckoning,” he told Dawn after PAF’s 1-0 victory.
As the competitions came to an end, with the closing ceremony on Saturday, Pakistan’s Olympic chief said the National Games were “one of a kind”.
“Nothing is bigger than the National Games for the sporting fraternity of Pakistan,” Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Saeed told Dawn at the KHA Complex.
“We had 11,000 athletes participating in the games — maybe five athletes of them will go to the Olympics, if God wills then hopefully 10,15. An event of this scale, that brings the whole country together, is one of a kind.”
Former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed on Thursday was sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by a military court, the military’s media wing said in a statement.
The court handed down the sentence following a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in which Hameed was found guilty on multiple charges, including engaging in political activities, violating anti-espionage laws, and abusing his authority, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
In November 2023, the Supreme Court (SC) said that allegations of an “extremely serious nature” against the ex-spymaster “cannot be left unattended” as they would undermine the reputation of the country’s institutions if they were proven to be true.
A series of investigations was thus initiated against him, following which he was taken into military custody in August 2024.
Dawn.com takes a look at the major developments and milestones in the case against Hameed over the last year.
August 12, 2024
Hameed was taken into military custody, with the army’s media wing confirming that the process for his court-martial had been initiated in connection with the Top City housing scheme scandal.
The government hailed the military’s decision to uphold the rule of law by initiating court martial proceedings against the former spymaster for his alleged involvement in victimising the owner of a private housing society. The opposition PTI, however, adopted a reserved stance, calling it an internal issue of the army.
August 17, 2024
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar revealed that Hameed, who was facing court martial proceedings, had apologised to him for victimising him. Calling the arrest of the former ISI chief a miracle, Dar said: “I am among the victims of Faiz Hameed.” However, he added, the retired general had tendered an apology for his “excesses”.
August 22, 2024
PTI founder Imran Khan called for an open trial of the former spymaster. He termed the arrest a ‘drama’ and claimed that Hameed’s open trial would expose the ‘regime change operation’ and the incidents of May 9. Imran also said that if Hameed is tried for mutiny, the proceedings should be open to the public.
September 5, 2024
ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that court martial proceedings against Hameed had been initiated based on “concrete evidence” following a detailed probe.
December 10, 2024
The military’s media affairs wing confirmed that Hameed had been formally indicted by a military court on three counts — engaging in political activities, violating anti-espionage laws, and abusing his authority.
February 13, 2025
An investigation was conducted against him for allegedly misusing his powers. Awami National Party leader and former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti stated that before the Top City inquiry, Hameed should be held accountable for actions that led to the “loss of Pashtun lives.”
December 11, 2025
Former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed has been sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by a military court
