Russia on Monday declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it.

Ukraine responded by declaring a truce of its own between May 5-6, saying it was “not serious” to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday.

The quarrelling between the two sides comes with a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, as Washington shifts its focus to conflict in the Middle East.

Russian strikes killed nine people across Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, while a Ukrainian drone crashed into a high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight.

“In accordance with a decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared from May 8–9, 2026… We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit,” the Russian defence ministry said in a post on state-backed messaging service MAX.

“If the Kyiv regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Armed Forces will launch a retaliatory, massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv,” it added.

“We warn the civilian population of Kyiv and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city promptly.”

Russia marks World War II Victory Day each year with a massive military parade through Red Square.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that having a ceasefire so Moscow could mark the celebration was “not serious”, and that Russia was afraid Ukrainian drones would “buzz over Red Square”.

“As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media,” Zelensky said in a post on X.

“In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5–6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect,” he added.

The Ukrainian leader later landed in the Gulf nation of Bahrain for talks on “security cooperation”, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP.

Deadly attacks

Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least nine people on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials.

A Russian ballistic missile attack on the town of Merefa – outside Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv – killed seven civilians and wounded dozens earlier Monday, regional authorities said.

AFP journalists in Merefa saw several bodies strewn in the street, covered by blankets and white sheets – with shops, houses and cars damaged.

A separate Russian strike on the village of Vilnyansk in the southern Zaporizhzhia region killed two others, the region’s governor Ivan Fedorov said.

“Unfortunately, a married couple was killed: a 51-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman,” Fedorov said.

Their 31-year-old son was wounded in the strike, along with three other people, he added.

In Russia, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the border region of Belgorod, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

A Ukrainian drone also hit a residential high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight, the Russian capital’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Russia advances slow

Russia lost more territory than it gained in Ukraine in April for the first time since a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed.

Moscow ceded control of about 120 square kilometres (46 square miles) between March and April, the ISW data showed.

Despite the fighting at the front reaching a near stalemate, intense and deadly drone-dominated attacks have continued unabated in recent months.

Russia’s advances have slowed since late 2025, as communication issues in the Russian army combined with Ukrainian counterattacks helped Kyiv make localised breakthroughs in the southeast.

The Ukrainian army’s net gains – their first in more than two years – were marginal however, representing only 0.02 per cent of Ukrainian territory, the data showed.

Moscow currently occupies just over 19pc of Ukraine, the majority of which it seized during the first weeks of its invasion in 2022.

Approximately 7pc, including Crimea and areas in the Donbas region, were already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the invasion.

The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) provided humanitarian assistance to over half a dozen sailors stuck aboard an Indian offshore tug and supply vessel in the Arabian Sea, security sources said on Monday.

The rescue and support operation for the crew, which included six Indians and one Indonesian national, was initiated after the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in Mumbai contacted Pakistani authorities and requested assistance.

They reported a technical fault on the MV Gautam, which was en route from Oman to India, security sources said. The Pakistan Navy deployed the PMSS Kashmir to carry out rescue operations.

Emergency assistance, including food, medical aid, and technical support, was provided to the crew of MV Gautam, the sources said, adding that support operations for the vessel remain ongoing.

Last month, the Pakistan Navy carried out an operation in the Arabian Sea and rescued 18 crew members, including foreign nationals, of a merchant vessel following a distress call.

“In a swift humanitarian operation, Pakistan Navy successfully rescued and evacuated 18 crew members, including nationals of China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia, following a distress call from merchant vessel (MV) Gold Autumn, operating in North Arabian Sea at 200 nautical miles (approximately 370 km) off Pakistan’s coast,” a statement had said.

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi on Monday announced the recovery of 80 acres of government land illegally allotted to Bahria Town in the Gulshan-i-Sarmast housing scheme in Hyderabad’s Deh Ganjo Takkar, a press release said.

According to the press release, the land worth Rs6 billion was located in a prime area of Hyderabad district.

“The management of Bahria Town got the possession of the land through the illegal allotment against the meagre amount of Rs383 million, which was also defaulted,” the bureau said.

Furthermore, the statement said that Bahria Town had also failed to fulfil the terms and conditions of the allotment, as the land was intended for the establishment of a university.

“Accordingly, the matter was taken up with Hyderabad Development Authority and as a result of efforts and intervention of NAB, the HDA cancelled the allotment and possession with forfeiture of the partially paid amount by Bahria Town,” the statement added.

Last week, an accountability court issued perpetual arrest warrants against property tycoon and Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz, his son, and others in the land grab case.

The NAB had filed a reference in 2025 against the owners of Bahria Town, senior PPP leaders and government officials for allegedly converting, exchanging and transferring government land to Bahria Town for its projects in Karachi.

WASHINGTON: Public opinion within parts of the American-Jewish community on the US-led war against Iran has shown a noticeable shift, with support easing and opposition rising over time, according to a recent survey.

While different polls focus on different segments of the community, both point to growing reservations about the campaign as it has progressed.

The Jewish People Policy Institute’s “Voice of the Jewish People Index” survey, which tracks attitudes among a more connected segment of American Jews engaged with organised communal life, records a steady decline in support over the course of the conflict.

Backing fell from 68 per cent in the war’s first week to 62pc in the third week, and further to 60pc in the week following the ceasefire, while opposition rose from 26pc to 34pc over the same period, the survey shows.

A separate nationwide survey conducted by GBAO Strategies for the advocacy group J Street, which reflects a broader sample of American Jewish voters, suggests that scepticism is even more widespread, finding that about 60 per cent opposed the war in March.

A breakdown of respondents in the “Voice of the Jewish People Index” survey by ideological orientation points to strong political polarisation in perceptions of the campaign.

Among self-identified “strong liberals,” opposition to the move was overwhelming, with 71pc against it. The “leaning liberal” group appeared the most divided and uncertain, with opinion almost evenly split between support and opposition (42pc and 44pc respectively), while a relatively high 15pc remained undecided or expressed no clear view.

In contrast, there is near-total support for the decision among conservative respondents, with approval reaching 96pc among “strong conservatives” and 94pc among “leaning conservatives.”

Centrist respondents also showed substantial backing, with 83pc expressing support for the war.

In the first week after the ceasefire came into effect, broad support for the war remained high among Jewish respondents in Canada (81pc) and the United Kingdom (75pc), while opposition stayed relatively limited, ranging between roughly one-sixth and one-quarter.

Alongside the gradual decline in support for the Iran war, there was also a noticeable shift in how respondents perceived the mood within their own social circles.

At the outset of the war, a majority (53pc) believed that most of their Jewish acquaintances supported the campaign. This perception fell to 43pc within a month. Over the same period, the share reporting that opposition was present within their social environment increased from 20pc to 28pc.

A breakdown by ideological orientation highlights sharp differences in how respondents perceive their social environments. At the liberal end of the spectrum, a majority (56pc) report that opposition to the war is more common within their social circles, compared with 21pc who say they observe support.

This pattern reverses moving rightward: among centrists and conservative respondents, perceived support within social environments rises to between 59pc and 63pc, while reported opposition falls to 14pc or lower.

Notably, a relatively high share of respondents selected “don’t know,” suggesting possible reluctance or avoidance in discussing the issue within social settings.

In parallel, assessments among US respondents show a clear decline in perceived success of the war compared with the previous month. The share describing the campaign as a “major success” fell from 24pc to 14pc, while those viewing it as a “failure” doubled from 14pc to 25pc.

Overall, the proportion who regarded the war as successful (combining “major” and “somewhat successful”) declined from 66pc in March to 56pc in April, while negative assessments rose from 26pc to 40pc.

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: An attempted suicide attack on a security forces’ post near Azam Warsak Bazaar, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan area, was foiled on Monday evening, officials said.

According to security sources, the attacker attempted to target the army post using an explosives-laden coach; however, due to timely action by Pakistan Army personnel, the vehicle was destroyed before reaching its target.

Police officials said the explosion damaged a nearby religious seminary, a petrol pump, shops and the roofs of several houses, some of which partially collapsed.

As a result of the incident, one civilian was martyred while 15 others sustained injuries. All of the injured were immediately transported to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana.

Medical Superintendent Dr Jan Mohammad said that a state of emergency had been declared at the hospital, with the injured being provided medical treatment.

Local residents told Dawn that the blast was so powerful that people rushed out of their rooms in fear and panic spread in the area. The sound of the explosion was heard far and wide.

In a statement, security forces said that engaging the attacker and their vehicle at a distance from the post helped prevent major loss of life. Security personnel have since cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

There has been a significant increase in incidents of terrorism in various areas of South Waziristan over the past year.

Incidents of target killing, kidnapping for ransom, bombings and attacks on police and security forces’ check posts have intensified, causing serious concern among residents.

Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025, with terrorist attacks rising by 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities increasing by 21 per cent year on year, according to a report released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

KP in particular has seen a rise in terrorist attacks in the past year. According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the province recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.

Due to a resurgence of militancy, especially in KP and Balochistan, where attacks often target security personnel and LEAs, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.

Last week, six terrorists were killed when Bannu police successfully repelled a major attack on the Mazanga police post, officials said.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was informed by the petroleum ministry on Monday that the country has sufficient reserves of POL products till the third week of June.

The information was conveyed to the deputy premier during a high-level meeting to review the country’s petroleum, oil, and lubricants stock position.

“The Petroleum Ministry briefed the committee on the prevailing supply situation, confirming that, after factoring in incoming shipments, sufficient stock levels are available to ensure uninterrupted availability of POL products throughout Pakistan until the third week of June 2026.”

Global fuel prices have skyrocketed over the past two months as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains paralysed since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28.

The attendees were also informed that the supplies are being continuously monitored on a daily basis by the National Coordination and Management Committee (NCMC), to “ensure effective oversight and proactive supply chain management”.

Dar commended the relevant stakeholders for ensuring the steady and reliable availability of fuel across the country, amid prevailing global and domestic challenges.

According to the DPM’s office, the meeting was attended by several cabinet ministers, alongside senior government officials from various ministries and departments.

Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country’s weekly oil bill reached $800 million due to the ongoing oil crisis arising from the Middle East conflict.

PM Shehbaz commended the efforts of Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik for tackling the fuel crisis resulting from the Iran war, stating that the situation now appeared “satisfactory”.

On that note, the prime minister remarked that fuel prices in the global markets had risen sharply, noting that “our weekly pre-war oil bill was around $300m, and today it is up to $800m”.

He further shared that the country’s fuel consumption “had lessened compared to previous weeks”, stressing that the situation was being monitored regularly.

In March, PM Shehbaz announced unprecedented austerity measures to cope with the crisis, saying it was being enforced to utilise the available reserves of oil in a “judicious manner”.

The premier announced that, among these measures, all government offices would observe a four-day working week from Monday to Thursday, although this would not apply to banks. The exemption also extended to the agriculture and industrial sectors, as well as essential services such as hospitals and ambulance services.

Fire broke out at a major UAE oil industry zone on Monday after a drone attack originating from Iran, ​authorities said, as the Gulf state’s military separately intercepted three Iranian ‌missiles over its waters and a fourth crashed into the sea.

Civil defence teams were deployed immediately to contain the blaze at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, the Fujairah Media Office ​said in a statement, adding that three Indian citizens were moderately injured ​in the attack and taken to the hospital.

The UAE defence ministry said ⁠on X that its forces had intercepted three missiles, with a fourth falling ​into the sea.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy issued a map it said showed an ​expansion of areas under Iranian control near the Strait of Hormuz, encompassing the UAE ports of Fujairah and Khorfakkan as well as the coast of the Umm Al Quwain emirate, Iranian ​news agencies reported.

The drone attacks shattered a period of relative calm in the ​UAE since a Pakistani-mediated ceasefire between Washington and Tehran took effect on April 8, pausing more ‌than ⁠two months of intense fighting in the Gulf region.

During the period of intense conflict, the UAE said it had intercepted and destroyed thousands of drones and missiles.

UAE authorities on Monday issued mobile phone alerts in Dubai and Abu Dhabi warning ​of the possibility of ​missile attacks.

Monday’s strike ⁠was not the first time Fujairah’s energy infrastructure had been in the crosshairs. A drone attack on March 14 had ​previously hit the Port of Fujairah, triggering fires and the ​suspension of ⁠some oil-loading operations.

Fujairah has been critical to UAE oil exports during the Iran war as it sits at the end of the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, which ⁠carries ​crude from inland fields to the Gulf of ​Oman, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

This has allowed the UAE to continue shipping oil to global markets ​even as the waterway remained under threat.

ISLAMABAD: PTI accused the government on Monday of driving Pakistan into an “unprecedented economic and governance crisis” that has “crushed the common man”.

In a statement, PTI’s Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram stated that the “stability” claimed by the government was nothing but a “cruel joke on 250 million Pakistanis”.

Akram said that after four years of no reforms, inflation had returned sharply, with the Consumer Price Index rising 11 per cent year-on-year and the Sensitive Price Indicator increasing 15pc. He added that fuel and electricity prices had surged significantly, with petrol and diesel nearing Rs400 per litre and power tariffs reaching Rs60–80 per unit, while food costs, including flour and roti, had also risen markedly across the country.

He further slammed the Punjab government’s ban on inter-provincial wheat movement, calling it a blatant violation of Article 151 of the Constitution.

“A Form-47 chief minister who herself sits on an illegitimate seat has no regard for the federation. The prime minister, enslaved to the Takht-e-Lahore, refuses to intervene even as flour prices spiral out of control across KP and other provinces,” Akram added.

“Food imports have surged by $2 billion, and Pakistan now ranks among the 10 most food-insecure countries in the world, with 11 million citizens at risk of extreme hunger. This government has no food security plan, no energy plan, no growth plan, no export plan, no Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) plan and no plan to cut wasteful expenditure. It couldn’t even win a majority on the floor of the house. Yet it continues to rule through coercion and manipulation,” he alleged.

“Development is being sacrificed at the altar of elite extravagance. This is not stability; this is fiscal surrender and economic strangulation,” he asserted.

Akram also termed the government’s tax policy as “punish the documented, protect the powerful”.

On the energy front, Akram called the government’s decision to borrow Rs1.25 trillion to retire circular debt “the same old disease with new excuses”.

“With power circular debt at Rs1.7 trillion and gas circular debt at Rs2.6 trillion, the regime continues to shift the burden onto consumers instead of fixing theft, losses, recoveries and exploitative contracts,” he added.

“PTI has always maintained that real economic progress is impossible without clean, elected democratic governance, strong institutions, ease of doing business and merit-based decision-making.”

“Unless these fundamentals are fixed, no amount of photo-ops, statements or desperate meetings will bring lasting change. Pakistan possesses the potential, the strategic location and the market, but under this setup, it will continue to lose opportunities and dignity. The people of Pakistan are paying the heaviest price for a government that exists only to finance the lifestyles of its rulers,” he concluded.

A tiny, little-known world beyond Pluto appears to have an atmosphere, Japanese astronomers said on Monday, defying what had been thought possible for icy objects in our cosmic backyard.

If confirmed, the roughly 500-kilometre-wide rock would become just the second world past Neptune in our Solar System to host an atmosphere — after only Pluto itself.

Formerly classified as a planet, Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006, in part because astronomers were discovering other similar objects in a distant region called the Kuiper Belt.

While Nasa under US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of restoring Pluto’s planet status, the discovery of another atmosphere nearby could undermine the argument for its reinstatement.

For the new discovery, Japanese researchers and an amateur astronomer pointed their telescopes at an object with the unwieldy name of (612533) 2002 XV93.

The icy world is nearly 40 times further from the Sun than Earth — or roughly six billion kilometres away.

These dark objects can only be seen when they pass in front of a distant star.

When this happened in January 2024, the astronomers observed that the starlight did not immediately reappear, suggesting a thin atmosphere was filtering some of the light.

They estimate that the world has an atmosphere five to 10 million times thinner than Earth’s, according to a new study in Nature Astronomy.

“This is important because, until now, Pluto was the only trans-Neptunian object with a confirmed atmosphere,” lead study author Ko Arimatsu of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan told AFP.

Such small worlds had not been thought capable of hosting an atmosphere.

“This discovery therefore challenges the conventional view that small icy worlds in the outer Solar System are mostly inactive and unchanging,” he added.

Ice volcanoes or comet smash?

The researchers could not say for sure what created the atmosphere, which is nowhere near thick enough to support life.

But they suggested it could have been made by gas being shot out from the world’s interior by erupting ice volcanoes.

Or it could have been kicked up by a comet smashing into the world, which would mean it will gradually disappear.

Jose-Luis Ortiz, a Spanish astronomer not involved in the research who studies dwarf planets beyond Neptune, said the results were interesting, but urged caution.

“I still doubt that it is an atmosphere. We need more data,” he told AFP.

An alternative explanation for the observations could be that the object has a ring close to its body, Ortiz said.

Ko Arimatsu acknowledged that he could not rule out “exotic alternatives” to an atmosphere.

However, “a nearly edge-on ring does not seem consistent with the main features of our observations,” he added.

Both astronomers called for further observations to reveal more about this strange world — particularly with the James Webb space telescope.

There have also been suggestions that a dwarf planet called Makemake, which is slightly smaller than Pluto, could have a very thin atmosphere, though some scientists are sceptical.

Last week, Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman suggested the US space agency was considering reinstating Pluto as a fully-fledged planet.

Isaacman made the comments while endorsing a proposal to halve Nasa’s science budget, riling some astronomers, Nature reported.

“It’s wild to ‘make Pluto a planet again’ while decimating the careers of those of us that study it!” planetary scientist Adeene Denton wrote on Bluesky.

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) announced on Monday that it remains firmly committed to supporting Pakistan in strengthening midwifery education, workforce development and health systems.

In a statement to mark the observance of ‘International Day of the Midwife’ on May 5, UNFPA’s representative in Pakistan, Dr Luay Shabaneh, said that the Fund will continue to work in close partnership with the government and all stakeholders to advance this agenda.

“The path forward is clear, the evidence is strong and the returns are undeniable. The question is not whether we can afford to invest in midwives, but whether we can afford not (to do) so.

“Let us stand with our midwives by protecting them, valuing their contribution and enabling them to reach their full potential, investing not only in health, but in the dignity, prosperity and future of Pakistan,” the UNFPA representative said.

He added that Pakistan now had an opportunity to act by expanding midwifery education, scaling up the B.S. Midwifery Programme, strengthening training standards and ensuring recruitment and deployment where they were most needed.

Shabaneh called for midwives to be fully integrated into the health system with clear career pathways, professional recognition and leadership opportunities. He added that they should be paid fairly, protected legally and prioritised in health sector planning and budgets.

“Access to skilled midwifery care is a fundamental right. No woman should lose her life while giving life,” he said.

The representative termed midwives “guardians of life at its most critical moments, ensuring the safety of mothers, newborns and families, and supporting health and well-being far beyond birth”.

He noted that they were often the first and most trusted point of care in rural and underserved communities across Pakistan — providing skilled care, preventing complications, identifying risks early and ensuring timely referrals during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.

Yet the reality and state of midwives is worrying, he pointed out, noting that Pakistan accounts for approximately four per cent of global maternal deaths. Nearly 100 women die for every 100,000 live births, most from preventable causes, he added.

According to Shabaneh, the country faces a shortage of nearly 82,000 midwives, with only 2.2 midwives per 10,000 people — half the global average.

“These are not just statistics,” he said. “They represent lives lost, families changed forever and a gap that must and can be closed.”

When properly educated, supported and integrated into the health system, the representative added that midwives could deliver most essential maternal and newborn health services, reduce preventable deaths, improve health outcomes and strengthen primary health care.

He highlighted that investing in midwives was a “smart economic choice” as it reduced costly emergency care, lowered pressure on hospitals, improved workforce productivity, and strengthened families and communities, delivering long-term returns in both human and economic development.

However, he said, “midwives in Pakistan are too often expected to carry this responsibility without adequate support”. This support includes essential equipment, medicines, supervision, safe working conditions and fair compensation.

An advanced midwifery clinical skills training programme was launched in Tharparkar in March. According to a press release, the programme aims at enhancing maternal and neonatal healthcare services in one of the most underserved areas of the province.

ISLAMABAD: Senate Deputy Chairman Syedal Khan Nasar on Monday took notice of security lapses and poor facilities at the Parliament Lodges, summoning the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and security officials and ordering a comprehensive report within three days.

Parliament Lodges house members of the National Assembly and Senate in the capital. Security and maintenance issues have been a recurring issue at the lodges.

Chairing an emergency meeting at Parliament House, Nasar expressed displeasure over the unauthorised entry of unrelated persons in the Parliament Lodges and termed the security flaws a “serious threat”.

He directed authorities to submit details of all complaints received at the lodges and the subsequent action taken.

The deputy chairman also raised questions over delays in renovation and repair work, and expressed dismay at the poor condition of lifts.

Citing his own experience of getting stuck in a lift, he called such incidents an “administrative failure”.

Lack of progress despite repeated complaints by senators was termed negligence.

Nasar also sought the complete allotment record of Parliament Lodges. He demanded details, cost breakdown, and reasons for the delay in the project for 104 new blocks. Nasar expressed regret over the hold-up and directed immediate action.

Describing the hygiene situation at the lodges as “deplorable”, the deputy chairman noted that there was an alarming number of rats. He also took note of a social media video showing the entry of an unrelated woman into the lodge and ordered an inquiry into the matter.

“No compromise is acceptable on the security of residents,” Nasar said, ordering all repair work to be completed immediately and complaints redressed.

Senators at the meeting expressed reservations over the administration’s inattention to their complaints.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday revealed the ‘Team of the Year’ for the 11th HBL Pakistan Super League edition, with Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam leading the side after finishing as the highest run-getter for the season, said a press release issued by the board.

The 11th HBL PSL season culminated on Sunday with Peshawar Zalmi lifting the title for the second time since 2017, after beating tournament debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in Lahore.

“The team was selected by a five-member committee from the esteemed commentary team. The jury also selected an emerging team of the tournament as well, comprising young Pakistan players,” the PCB said.

Babar, who scored 558 runs in 11 innings, was named as the captain of the side. He also struck two spectacular centuries in the season against Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United.

Peshawar Zalmi’s Kusal Mendis and Lahore Qalandars’ Fakhar Zaman are also part of the team for scoring the maximum number of runs after Babar.

Multan Sultans’ batter and Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood also earned a place in the team, along with Hyderabad Kingsmen wicket-keeper batter Usman Khan.

Islamabad United captain and all-rounder Shadab Khan was included in the team after taking 17 wickets in the season. He was also named the season’s best all-rounder.

Hyderabad Kingsmen’s Hassan Khan and Hunain Shah were also included in the team, along with Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Triumphant Peshawar Zalmi spinner Sufyan Muqeem was added to the side after taking 22 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 14.40. He also won the Best Bowler and Player of the Tournament awards for his outstanding performance.

Islamabad United pacer Richard Gleeson was also included. Meanwhile, Quetta Gladiators’ Hassan Ayaz was named as the 12th player in the team.

No player from Karachi Kings or the Rawalpindi franchise could make it into the final XI.

Furthermore, the HBL PSL 11 Emerging Team of the Year was announced, featuring several promising names.”

Sameer Minhas, Shamyl Hussain, Maaz Sadaqat, Saad Baig, Farhan Yousuf, Saad Masood, Hunain Shah, Ali Raza, Mohammad Ismail, Ubaid Shah, Momin Qamar, and Mohammad Farooque were included.