Pakistan cabinet sworn in, taking control of nation deeply divided with looming economic crisis

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari will address the joint session of Pakistan’s parliament today, Monday, at the start of the new parliamentary year, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

According to Article 56 of Pakistan’s constitution, the president is required to address both houses of parliament at the start of the first session of each parliamentary year. Zardari, who previously served as Pakistan’s president from 2018-2013, has addressed joint sessions of the parliament seven times before, including one last year in April. 

Pakistani presidents’ addresses to parliament have been marred by noisy protests from opposition lawmakers in the past. Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party lawmakers shouted slogans and banged their desks when Zardari spoke in 2024. This year as well the party is expected to disrupt Zardari’s speech with sloganeering as the PTI’s tensions with the ruling coalition government persist. 

“President Asif Ali Zardari will address the joint session of Parliament on Monday on the beginning of new parliamentary year,” Radio Pakistan said in a report. “The joint session will start at three in the afternoon.”

The state-run media said stringent security arrangements have been put in place at the Parliament House ahead of the session. It said that as per the National Assembly Secretariat, entry for guests has been prohibited while media representatives will be allowed in “limited numbers.”

According to English language newspaper Dawn, Zardari will outline the federal government’s performance and governance issues in his address. 

The president’s address takes place as Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery after a prolonged macroeconomic crisis. Pakistan’s government says its economic reforms over the past one year have yielded fruit, pointing to improving macroeconomic indicators such as a decline in inflation, current account surplus and increase in exports. 

The country, however, faces surging militancy in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have reported an increase in attacks launched by religiously motivated militants and separatist outfits since November 2022, dealing a blow to Pakistan’s efforts to root out militancy. 

The Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government is also grappling with political instability as its tensions with Khan’s PTI persist. The former prime minister continues to remain popular from behind bars, with his party leading a large protest calling for his release from prison last year that involved clashes with law enforcers. 

Both sides attempted to break the political deadlock in the country by holding negotiations in December 2024. However, after three rounds of talks, the negotiations failed as the PTI pulled out in January, citing the government’s failure to form judicial commissions to investigate protests it led in May 2023 and November 2024.

DUBAI: India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday in Dubai.

AFP Sport looks at five storylines from the 50-over tournament.

Virat Kohli silenced the critics over his poor form in Test cricket with an unbeaten 100 against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Kohli took time to get into the groove on a sluggish Dubai pitch to anchor India’s chase of 242 with key stands.

His mastery of the conditions, combined with his ability to rotate the strike, took India to victory with six wickets and 45 balls to spare.

Kohli was also India’s savior in the semifinal against Australia when his 84 steered another successful chase.

Opposition skipper Steve Smith called the 36-year-old “arguably the best chaser the game has seen.”

Pakistan hosted a major cricket event for the first time in three decades and excitement there was sky-high, despite India’s refusal to tour and instead play all their matches in Dubai.

But the Pakistan team’s poor showing on the field deflated the spirits of the cricket-crazy nation with successive losses to New Zealand and India.

That signalled the end of Pakistan’s title defense, and to add insult to injury, their dead-rubber final group match against Bangladesh was washed out.

One disappointed fan called the tournament a “wedding where you don’t know the bride or groom.”

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips lit up the tournament with his fielding heroics, notably against India in the group phase for the key wicket of Kohli.

Phillips dived full stretch to his right at backward point and somehow held on to the ball to send Kohli back for 11 off fast bowler Matt Henry.

Kohli stood in disbelief for a few seconds before trudging back to the pavilion as the fans in Dubai fell silent.

Social media was abuzz with reactions to the catch, with one fan on X calling Phillips “the Superman of the tournament.”

Jos Buttler’s England came into the competition off the back of a 3-0 ODI whitewash in India, but piled on a mammoth 351 in their opener against Ashes rivals Australia.

England still managed to lose as Australia chased down the target to leave Buttler’s side on the brink.

Defeat to Afghanistan put England out of the tournament after just two matches.

Two days later Buttler quit as England’s white-ball captain after three successive flops in ICC events, including their failed T20 and 50-over World Cup title defenses.

Veteran batsman Steve Smith, 35, called time on his ODI career a day after Australia lost in the semifinals to India.

Smith top-scored for Australia with 73, but his knock was in vain after India overhauled Australia’s 264 and the captain’s innings turned out to be his last in the format.

Another retirement seemed highly likely after the final with intense speculation that India skipper Rohit Sharma would end his one-day career if they won.

Opener Rohit top-scored with 76 in the final and declared afterwards that he was not going anywhere, leaving Indian media stumped and fans relieved.