Latest news with #Hashimi
Arab News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan Football Federation says FIFA has lifted suspension following constitutional tweaks
ISLAMABAD: The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) recently lifted the international suspension it had imposed on Pakistan after the country unanimously approved its proposed constitutional amendments, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said recently. FIFA hit Pakistan on Feb. 6 with a third international suspension in less than eight years after the federation rejected its electoral reforms. Following the suspension, the PFF unanimously approved FIFA's proposed constitutional amendments in an extraordinary meeting in Lahore last Thursday. 'The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) welcomes FIFA's decision to lift the suspension imposed on February 6, 2025,' the PFF said in a statement on Sunday. 'The decision follows the unanimous approval of FIFA-proposed amendments by the newly elected PFF Congress in the PFF constitution during an Extraordinary Congress meeting held in Lahore on February 27, 2025.' PFF Normalization Committee Chairman Saud Hashimi congratulated the nation on the development. 'This is a historic day for Pakistani football, and we are committed to fulfilling FIFA and AFC's mandate to ensure a stable and progressive future for the sport in the country,' Hashimi said. The move means Pakistan will now be able to play Syria on Mar. 25 in its first qualifier for the upcoming 2027 Asian Cup. The PFF has been mired in crisis and controversy since 2015 and this was the third time since 2017 that Pakistan has been suspended. In June 2022, FIFA lifted the PFF's suspension, which had been imposed due to undue third-party interference a year earlier. A group of officials led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah, which was elected by the Supreme Court in 2018 to run the PFF but was not recognized by FIFA, took over the headquarters in March 20121. They had seized control from FIFA's normalization committee headed by Haroon Malik. The committee had not conducted elections for the body in the 18 months since it took charge. FIFA suspended the PFF due to the 'hostile takeover' but lifted the ban after confirmation the committee had regained full control of the PFF's premises and was in a position to manage its finances. Pakistan was also suspended by FIFA for third party interference in 2017. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
The National
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
My Sharjah Rent: Voiceover artist transforms Dh42,500 one-bed flat into family home
My Sharjah Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don't like Voiceover artist Tahreem Fatima Hashmi has created a family home in Ganda Tower, near Al Nahda Park in Sharjah, for her three children. Ms Hashimi, who is from Pakistan, says the spectacular views from their 19th floor, one-bedroom apartment were a big reason for moving in. She is also a visual artist, and has brightened up her apartment with calligraphy pieces blending traditional techniques with modern flair. She has lived in her apartment for a year, and pays Dh42,500 a year in rent. She has no plans to move – as long as the rent remains affordable. The main reason I chose to live here is safety and the security of the building. Also, it has great facilities like a swimming pool, gym and a really nice play area for younger kids. There is a really nice walking track which is great to get out and exercise on, away from the traffic. I'm passionate about transforming spaces into warm, inviting and functional homes. Artwork I have put up on the walls of the apartment cheers me up and makes the place feel like our home. My artwork is a reflection of my love for beauty, harmony, and self-expression. Sharjah is much more affordable than other places, so this was one of the main reasons why we chose to live here. Dubai is very expensive and I can't afford that as I'm no longer working full time as a teacher. Both of my girls are working and they are helping with paying the rent so it works well for us. We don't have a lot of space, but the balcony is a great place to look out and enjoy the views. I have tried to make it extra special with some plants. This building is very family-orientated, so there are always young children using some of the play areas. We have not been here that long but the cafes nearby are a good place to meet people and to catch up with what is happening. There is a nice sense of community there. We have parking and we have everything we need here, and there is a market nearby. We are quite new to the area and still getting to know our neighbours – I haven't met many of them yet. There is a lot of coming and going from the apartments, but we all feel safe here, which is the most important thing, and what we were looking for in a building when we were choosing where to live. We don't have a garden here and I love gardening, so that is something I would change. I have tried to make the balcony area as green as possible, but it would be great to have a bit more outdoor space. I would like to be able to grow things and have some plants to attend to.
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'With this, we can hope' - Afghan cricketers play first match
Female cricketers from Afghanistan hope their first competitive match in Australia will "open doors for Afghan women for education, sport and future". An Afghanistan Women's XI played a 20-over exhibition match against Cricket Without Borders at Melbourne's Junction Oval on Thursday, before the Women's Ashes Test between Australia and England at the nearby Melbourne Cricket than 20 members of the Afghanistan national team have been in Australia since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, as female participation in sport in the country has effectively been outlawed. But they are now hoping to send a message of hope and positivity to their country. "We are going to represent millions of Afghan women who are in Afghanistan and denied their rights," player Firoza Amiri told Cricket Australia before the match."It's very special for all of us to get back together after three years, leaving everything and losing everything back home in Afghanistan."In 2020, 25 players were given professional contracts by the Afghanistan Cricket Board but after the Taliban returned and they could no longer play or train safely, they had asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) for permission to play as a refugee team, but this was denied. For the exhibition match, the side could not play under the name of Afghanistan women because they are not recognised as a national team by the ICC and they had to wear a custom-made kit as opposed to the official Hashimi, one of the Afghan players, designed the logo which depicted a red tulip and a golden wattle - the national flowers of Australia and Afghanistan - entwined around a cricket ball. There are two sets of players in Australia, based in Melbourne and Canberra, and the match saw them unite for the first time since their arrival. Many of the players did not speak English when they arrived but had to learn it to help them settle and apply for jobs. Player Nahida Sapan says that the players are always playing for more than just themselves. "We play for Afghanistan, it means a lot for Afghan women because with this, they can and we can hope," Sapan told Cricket Australia. "This match can open doors for Afghan women for education, sport and future."We are building not just a team, we are building a movement for change and improvement." What is the ICC position? An ICC working group, set up after the Taliban takeover in 2021, has met with representatives of the Afghanistan government and is keen to use its position and the sport of cricket to influence change in the country."The ICC remains closely engaged with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to collaborate with our members," it said in a governing body added it was their intention to "support the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in fostering cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan".Its stance is that the ACB is not in control of government policy and therefore players should not be punished for his letter to the ICC, Gould called for the ICC's working group to be reformed, given it is entirely made up of men.
The Guardian
29-01-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘We are making history': Afghanistan women's cricket team offer hope for future
Two groups of women are playing cricket matches in Melbourne on Thursday – with two very different dreams on the line. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia will go face to face with England with the prize of a 16-0 Ashes whitewash up for grabs. Only a few miles up the road, at Junction Oval, an Afghanistan XI are playing a 20-over match against a Cricket Without Borders Charity XI, their first match under the Afghanistan banner since the Taliban seized power in 2021 and they were forced to flee for their lives. For the Afghan women, there is no Ashes trophy at stake: instead, they are playing for the chance to salvage something from the ashes of the dream of representing their country at cricket, a dream they feared they had left behind when they fled their home nation more than three years ago. Benafsha Hashimi and Sofia Yosofazi are two of the women involved. 'I feel like we are making history,' Yosofazi said. 'It's the first step to represent Afghanistan, and have everyone know that Afghan women can play cricket.' 'We are opening the door to at least have a match that tells the world that we are here, and we have Afghan women who are interested in playing cricket,' Hashimi added. 'It's a really, really good feeling.' The pair are among a group of 25 who were honoured to receive the first ever professional contracts for women from the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2020. But a year later the Taliban returned to power and immediately banned all women's sport. The dream quickly became a nightmare: the contracts placed them directly in the Taliban's firing line. The majority were able to escape to Australia, alongside their families. Many did not speak a word of English, but cricket has proved a universal language. Olivia Thornton, the chief executive of Cricket ACT, praised the support they have received. 'The way in which the Australian cricket community have wrapped their arms around these girls, and have used cricket as a vehicle to help them integrate, has been really wonderful,' she said. Half the women settled in Melbourne, and half in Canberra. Initially, given the need for privacy surrounding their escape, they had to play under the same pseudonym. 'There was an influx of Smiths in our cricket competitions,' Thornton recalled. Now, at last, the group are coming back together to play for the first time – complete with brand new cricket shirts designed by Hashimi, which bear a tulip on the front (the national flower of Afghanistan) and their real names on the back. The England captain, Heather Knight – who met the players at the MCG on Wednesday – labelled them 'inspirational'. 'The fact that they're playing as an Afghan team is really special,' she said. The match comes amid the ongoing row about whether England and South Africa should boycott their forthcoming men's Champions Trophy matches against Afghanistan. Amid a deteriorating situation for women in Afghanistan – women can no longer access education and are banned from speaking in public – a number of campaign groups have called for the boycott. However, the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Richard Gould, have both said the onus should be on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take collective action. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion The ICC has so far failed to penalise the Afghanistan Cricket Board, a stance in contravention of its own rules, which state that full members must have a women's team. They have also failed to engage with the women's team. Hashimi's message for it was clear. 'Please wake up. We are here. Support us. When I came here we kept sending them emails and letters, and they kept ignoring us, which is very disappointing. 'We are from Afghanistan, the country where women have always been seen lower and told they are nothing. Please don't do that with us.' Benafsha is due to start a degree in sport management later this year, while Yosofazi dreams of being a fashion designer. But both players also hope that this is just the start of their journeys representing Afghanistan on the cricket pitch – even if that does have to be done in exile. 'When the game finishes, we don't want it to end,' Hashimi said. 'We want to go further and have other matches in Australia. We're glad to have Cricket Australia with us – now we hope to get some support from ICC. 'We will try to be the best, to tell Afghan girls that they can do it,' she added. Whether or not those dreams can become a reality is now in the hands of the ICC.
