Pakistan

It’s called Pakistan’s forgotten war. And it’s been running for decades in Balochistan, the country’s largest province by land area.

More than 100 people have been killed in another wave of violence this week.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attacks, described as the deadliest so far.

The BLA has escalated its attacks in recent years, saying it is fighting for an independent Balochistan.

In Islamabad, the government blames what it says are its enemies for the violence.

So, what will it take to end the cycle of violence in Balochistan?

Presenter: Maleen Saeed

Guests

Raashid Wali Janjua – director of research at Islamabad Policy Research Institute

Sanaullah Baloch – Balochistan National Party leader

Ayesha Siddiqa – senior research fellow at Defence Studies Department at King’s College London

BREAKINGBREAKING,

This is a breaking news story, more details to follow.

Pakistan’s cricket team has been cleared to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 but will not play its game against India, the government of Pakistan said in a statement.

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” the statement said on Sunday.

The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, features 20 nations and begins on Saturday.

Pakistan are drawn in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands and US, and are playing all their matches in Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s first match on Saturday is against Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

If Pakistan boycotts their match against India, they will forfeit two points.

More to follow…

Follow our live build-up, with toss and team news, ahead of the crucial group stage match in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Pakistan thump Australia by 90 runs in Lahore in second T20 of tour to seal three-match T20 series 2-0.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha hit his highest score in the shortest format before Pakistan’s spinners routed Australia by 90 runs in the second Twenty20 International in Lahore on Saturday.

Agha hit a 40-ball 76 and Usman Khan smashed a 36-ball 53 as Pakistan made 198-5, their highest-ever T20I total against Australia.

This was enough for Pakistan’s spin quintet, who shared all 10 wickets between them with Abrar Ahmed returning the best figures of 3-14 and Shadab Khan finishing with 3-26.

Australia were routed for 108 in 15.4 overs, giving Pakistan their biggest T20I victory over Australia, eclipsing the 66-run win in Abu Dhabi in 2018.

“It has to be a perfect game,” said Agha. “We batted well and then were outstanding with the ball. Fielding was outstanding.”

The victory gives Pakistan an unbeatable 2-0 lead after they won the first match by 22 runs, also in Lahore, on Friday.

“We want to play in the same way, forget the 2-0 scoreline and come again with the same intensity and go to the World Cup with the same energy,” said Agha of the event starting in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

This is Pakistan’s first T20I series win over Australia since 2018. The final match is on Sunday, also in Lahore.

Despite skipper Mitchell Marsh coming back after resting on Friday, the visiting batters had little answer to Pakistan’s spin assault.

Ahmed dismissed Marsh for 18, Josh Inglis for five and Matthew Short for 27.

Cameron Green top-scored with a 20-ball 35 before spinner Usman Tariq dismissed him on his way to figures of 2-16.

Marsh admitted Pakistan were better.

“Pakistan outplayed us,” said Marsh. “Hopefully, we can improve and come back tomorrow. They put us under great pressure in batting; it was probably a 160-170 wicket so they scored a big total.”

Earlier, Agha and Usman led Pakistan to a fighting total after they won the toss and batted.

Agha built the innings with Saim Ayub (11-ball 23) during a second-wicket stand of 55 as Pakistan scored 72 runs in the power play.

Agha’s previous highest in all T20 cricket was 68 not out.

After Babar Azam failed with a five-ball two, Usman helped Agha add another quickfire 49 for the fourth wicket before Sean Abbott broke the stand.

Agha smashed four sixes and eight fours in his sixth Twenty20 half-century.

Pakistan added a good 61 runs in the last five overs with Usman knocking two sixes and four fours in his second T20I half-century, while Shadab’s knock had two sixes and a four.

The Usman-Shadab fifth-wicket stand yielded 63 runs off just 39 balls.

Shadab finished with an unbeaten 20-ball 28.

Pacer Xavier Bartlett and spinner Matthew Kuhnemann were expensive, conceding 92 runs between them in their eight overs.

What ranks as a safety concern in cricket? As the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup gets under way, Samantha Johnson looks at how the IPL exclusion of one Bangladeshi player led to an entire country exiting the tournament, and whether there are signs of a double standard.

More than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled from Tirah, a remote region in northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, as fears grow of an imminent military offensive against the Pakistan Taliban, according to local residents and officials.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has contradicted claims made by locals and provincial authorities, insisting no military operation is occurring or planned in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province town.

During an Islamabad news conference, he attributed the mass migration to harsh weather conditions rather than military actions, despite residents fleeing for weeks over fears of an impending army operation.

The exodus began after mosque announcements in December last year urged residents to vacate Tirah by January 23 to avoid possible conflict. This follows Pakistan’s August military campaign against Taliban forces in the northwestern Bajaur district, which displaced hundreds of thousands.

Shafi Jan, a provincial government spokesman, blamed federal authorities via social media for the displaced people’s hardships, accusing the Islamabad government of changing its position regarding military operations.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, from imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, has opposed military intervention and pledged to prevent a full-scale operation in Tirah.

Military officials maintain they will continue targeted intelligence operations against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). They claim many TTP fighters have found refuge in Afghanistan since the Afghan Taliban’s 2021 return to power, with hundreds crossing into Tirah and using residents as human shields during raids.

Nearly half of population

Local government administrator Talha Rafiq Alam reported that approximately 10,000 families – about 70,000 people – from Tirah’s 150,000 population have registered as displaced. The registration deadline has been extended from January 23 to February 5, with assurances that residents can return once security improves.

Zar Badshah, 35, who fled with his family, said mortar explosions in villages recently killed one woman and injured four children in his community. “Community elders told us to leave. They instructed us to evacuate to safer places,” he said.

At a Bara government school, hundreds waited in registration lines for government assistance, many complaining about slow processing. Narendra Singh, 27, explained that members of the Sikh minority also fled Tirah due to food shortages worsened by heavy snowfall and security concerns.

Tirah gained national attention last September after an explosion at an alleged bomb-making facility killed at least 24 people. While authorities claimed most casualties were TTP-linked fighters, local leaders contested this account, stating civilians, including women and children, were among the dead.

A decision on whether Pakistan will boycott next month’s men’s T20 World Cup is set to be made by early next week.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair Mohsin Naqvi held talks with the country’s prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, on Monday to discuss their participation in light of Bangladesh’s withdrawal.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh with Scotland on Saturday for the tournament which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka between 7 February and 8 March.

Naqvi said in a post on X, external he had “a productive meeting” with Sharif where he “briefed him on the ICC matter”.

“He [Sharif] directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table,” Naqvi said.

“It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday.”

BBC Sport understands that in addition to a full boycott of the tournament Pakistan officials are considering just boycotting their match against India.

Pakistan are due to play India at the T20 World Cup in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 15 February in accordance with an agreement signed last year saying the two countries will play at neutral venues whenever one of them hosts an ICC event.

Political tensions mean the two countries have not faced each other outside men’s major tournaments since 2013, while India have not played in Pakistan since 2008.

The ICC has been approached for comment.

Pakistan’s response comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had asked for their World Cup fixtures to be switched from India citing safety concerns.

There has been growing tensions between the countries and Bangladesh requested their games were played in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament, instead.

The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request, saying there was an “absence of any credible security threat” before the BCB reaffirmed its position.

BBC Sport understands Pakistan supported Bangladesh’s position in an emergency ICC board meeting held last Wednesday.

In a statement released last Saturday, in which they announced the decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, the ICC said it had “engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner”.

“In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule,” the ICC statement added.

The ICC also said it was keen not to establish “precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events”.

This month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India told Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman because of political tensions.