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Ghulam Ali cancels all concerts in India

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ghulam-ali

New Delhi: Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali, whose concert in Mumbai was called off after resistance from the Shiv Sena, has cancelled all his scheduled performances in the country, saying that he won’t return to India until “things are settled down”.

Ghulam Ali also expressed his disappointment over the recent incidents, asserting that Indian fans have always welcomed him and his music with open arms.

“I have cancelled all my future concerts in India, will never come back to India. I will not perform until things settle down. I’m hurt by recent incidents in India. As of now I have decided not to come to India. Indian fans have been very supportive. I’m a singer, I will talk about music, not politics,” the singer told CNN-IBN news channel.

All his scheduled concerts, including the one in Delhi on November 8, and another in Lucknow, have been scrapped.

According to a report in ibnlive.com, Ghulam Ali, who made an entry into Indian cinema with his popular song “Chupke chupke raat din” for B.R. Chopra’s “Nikaah”, is “hurt by the politics being played over his concerts in India” and “how political points were trying to score brownie points by not letting him perform in India”.

The singer was stopped from performing in Mumbai and in Pune last month after the Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt his concerts. It led to a debate, with artistes from all sections urging that art be kept out of politics.

He had then said that he was sad, but his admiration for India remains undiminished.

(IANS)

Shoaib Malik announces retirement from Tests

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Shoaib Malik

New Delhi: Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who made a spectacular comeback into the Pakistani Test squad after five years, on Tuesday announced retirement from the longest format of the game.

Malik confirmed the news on social micro-blogging site Twitter.

The 33-year-old said that he wanted to vacate the place for youngsters who are ready to fill in his shoes.

Malik added that he wanted to focus more on ODIs and is willing to play the 2019 World Cup.

In the first Test of the on-oing three-match series, Malik slammed 245 runs against England at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The match ended in a draw.

Malik has played 34 Tests for Pakistan where he has scored 1860 runs at an average of 35.76.

(Agencies)

Imran Khan, Reham divorce with mutual consent

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Imran Khan Reham

by Sammar Abbas, Dawn

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and TV journalist Reham Khan have divorced with mutual consent after 10 months of marriage, PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq said Friday.

‘Divorce is painful’

In a series of tweets, Imran Khan wrote that the divorce is painful for him, Reham and their respective families and requested everyone to respect their privacy.

He categorically denied the rumours about any financial settlement between them adding that he has great respect for Reham’s moral character and her passion to help and work for the underprivileged people of society.

Six months in, rumours that the marriage was falling apart began to circulate. While the couple was seen together on occasion, Imran last month tweeted an apparent refutation of the rumours: “I am shocked at a TV channel making slanderous statement about my marriage. I strongly urge the media to desist from such baseless statements.”

Earlier, Haq had also told DawnNews that Imran Khan had requested the media to avoid speculation and respect the sensitivity of the situation.

‘Just not getting along’

A source close to the PTI chairman, who asked not to be named, said the two were “just not getting along.”

“She wanted to get involved with politics and that is not what Khan wanted at all. She just did not want to sit at home,” he told Dawn.com.

“There were teething problems as well over other issues which were being resolved but this was a major issue — she wanted to get into politics and was not ready to back down.”

Another confidante of Imran Khan told Dawn.com that there was “a lot of pressure on Khan” from his family to divorce Reham, an apparent reference to Imran’s sister Aleema Khan who had made no secret of her displeasure over the marriage.

Despite several attempts, Reham could not be reached for a comment, but posted an announcement of the divorce on Twitter:

Sources said Reham has left Pakistan for London and is expected to address a conference there.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also asked party leaders to refrain from commenting on Imran Khan’s personal life.

The announcement today stirred a fiery debate on social media, with fans and naysayers of both Khan and Reham posting their two cents and taking sides.

In August this year the PTI chief had announced that Reham Khan, will not be playing an active role in party affairs, following “attacks” on his then wife in the aftermath of the party’s defeat in the NA-19 (Haripur) by-polls.

Loved by millions across the cricket-obsessed nation for winning Pakistan its only World Cup in 1992, Khan’s sporting prowess and rugged good looks brought him international celebrity.

He was considered his country’s most eligible man until he suddenly announced his plans to marry shortly after calling off a movement to topple the government in December after a Taliban attack on a school that killed 150 people.

The PTI chairman and television journalist Reham Khan had tied the knot in a simple nikkah ceremony which took place in January this year at Khan’s Bani Gala residence.

The nikkah, which was a low-key affair, was conducted by Mufti Saeed and was followed by a photo session. The wedding had captivated the entire country, with television channels going all out to cover the event and furnishing their audience with details of wedding sherwani and chappals.

In its early days, the marriage was marked by public appearances of the newlyweds who were seen smiling and happy at various events. Reham on several occasions had candidly expressed her feelings for Imran, saying he is “no longer alone”. In an early interview, she had said: “I didn’t know Mr Khan was Mr Right, you wait your whole life for Mr Right and then you find Mr Most Right.”

Reham had recently also sparked controversy after it emerged that she had not actually attended a college where she claimed to be a student on her website.

Born in 1952 in Lahore into a comfortable family with origins in the Pashtun northwest, Imran Khan was educated at Aitchison College and then Oxford University.

He became one of the world’s greatest ever all-rounders — a fearsome fast bowler and dangerous batsman — whose finest hour came at the 1992 World Cup, where at the age of 39 he led an inexperienced team to the title.

Off the pitch, he had a string of socialite girlfriends and frequented exclusive nightclubs in London until he married Jemima Goldsmith, the daughter of the French-British tycoon James, in 1995

Hi marriage with the Jemima lasted for nine years and ended amicably in 2004 with Goldsmith stating that she was unable to adapt to life in Pakistan.

Imran Khan has two sons from his previous marriage to Jemima.

Reham Khan was previously married to psychologist Ijaz Rehman, with whom she had three children.

Our issues can be only solved through dialogue: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit

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Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit with Nasheman.in editor Rizwan Asad at a dinner hosted by Press club of Bangalore during his visit to Bengaluru on Wednesday

Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit with Nasheman.in editor Rizwan Asad at a dinner hosted by Press club of Bangalore during his visit to Bengaluru on Wednesday

Abdul Basit

Bengaluru: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Wednesday asserted that the issues between India and Pakistan can be only solved through dialogue.

Speaking to Nasheman.in Mr. Basit said that there definitely are issues between both the countries, primarily being the issue of Jammu & Kashmir. He said, there is no other way to establish lasting peace without holding talks and resolving issues.

On the question of his country allegedly hiding fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, he asserted that “he is not in Pakistan. Even your government is not sure about his whereabouts.”

“Do share information on Dawood if you have any,” he said.

Earlier in his talk, Basit said since India is a big country it has more responsibilities on its shoulders to put an end to violence and Pakistan is ready to engage with India with sincerity and seriousness of purpose.

“After 35 years of violence in Pakistan, a fatigue factor has set in after having suffered at the hands of terrorism. We genuinely want violence to come to an end and we are ready to engage with India with sincerity and seriousness of purpose, but India as a big country has more responsibilities on its shoulders,” he said.

On the allegation that Army controls the politics and judiciary of the country, Mr. Basit rubbished it saying one should not give credence to propaganda. He assured that Pakistan is a democracy and a relatively conducive environment flourishes in his country.

Role of Urdu writers in Indo-Pak relationship

He said people of both the countries, have a common culture and language. Urdu, he contended has been a common thread of unity and writers of the language from both end of the border have encouraged bilateral relations between India and Pakistan.”

Mr. Basit also expressed great pleasure announcing that his country has recently passed an ordinance to make Urdu the official language of Pakistan. Acknowledging that Pakistan’s earlier leaders hailed from an elite class, who preferred English over Urdu, he said Urdu will finally get its due credit, after suffering for long.

7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Pakistan, at least 52 dead

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pakistan-earthquake

by Dawn

Islamabad: A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck major cities of Pakistan, including the northern areas, on Monday, leaving at least 52 dead and scores injured due to roof and building collapses.

The earthquake struck the country at 2:09pm today (Monday).

Forty minutes after the first earthquake, an aftershock of 4.8 magnitude was reported in the same area. Aftershocks are expected to continue in the affected areas.

The magnitude of today’s earthquake is close to the previous earthquake of 2005, but the destruction was more widespread then due to the shallow epicentre of the earthquake.

The earthquake in 2005 was at a depth of 26 km, while today’s earthquake was at a depth of 212.5 km, according to analyst Faheem Zaman.

Authorities in Peshawar have provided the following numbers for the victims:

091921302 and 091921138

52 dead across Pakistan

Atleast 18 people were killed in Peshawar city, according to PTI leader Mushtaq Ghani.

Eight people, including women and children, were killed in Swat, while four people were killed in the Bajaur tribal region after buildings collapsed in the area.

An eight-year-old child was killed in Kallar Kahar, whereas one casualty was also reported from Kasur after the roof of a house collapsed.

A 14-year-old child died in the Islamgarh area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirpur region after a school wall collapsed.

A wall collapsed in Sargodha, killing one woman and injuring 10 people, while three are injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

13 people were killed in Chitral, which is closest to the epicentre of the earthquake. A child has reportedly died a the roof of a house collapsed in Raja Bazaar area of Rawalpindi.

One child was killed after the wall of a school collapsed in Miani Adda area of Punjab’s Chakwal district. Three people will reported killed in Gilgit-Baltistan.

-Photo courtesy Hussain Nagri

-Photo courtesy Hussain Nagri

Several landslides have been reported in mountainous areas of the country, leading to fears that the death toll may increase.

Scores injured

At least 194 injured were brought to Swat’s Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, which does not have adequate medical facilities.

More than 100 wounded have been admitted to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital.

Tremors have been felt in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Kohat and Malakand.

Paramedics treat a man injured in an earthquake at a hospital in Peshawar on October 26, 2015. -AFP

Rescue 1122 has been put on high alert in Punjab. The disaster response force is on standby and a code red has been imposed, Director General Rescue Punjab Retd Brig Dr Ashraf Zia said. Rescue 1122 Spokesman Jam Sajjad said there were no reports of any deaths in Lahore.

A patient is brought to a hospital after severe earthquake was felt in Mingora, the main town of Pakistan’s Swat valley. -AP

Communication services have been disrupted in Islamabad, where walls swayed back and forth and people poured out of office buildings in a panic, reciting verses from the Holy Quran.

A building has also reportedly collapsed in Peshawar. Several mud huts collapsed in Balochistan’s Zhob district.

Citizens took to social media to post reports of the massive quake that lasted for up to one minute.

Tremors were also felt in Kabul and New Delhi.

The full extent of the damage and the number of possible casualties is not yet known.

7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially measured the quake’s intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.6 and later to 7.5.

Vineet Gahlot, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department, said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and an epicentre deep in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Pakistan state TV reported the same magnitude.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department, however, said the magnitude of the earthquake was 8.1.

The quake was 196km deep and centred 82km southeast of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range.

According to USGS, the epicentre is 67km from Chitral.

Rescue operation

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies to declare an immediate alert and mobilise all resources to ensure the security of citizens of Pakistan. All agencies have been directed to move out with their resources.

The prime minister has contacted Governor KP and has directed him to mobilise tribal administration immediately for relief, rescue and damage assessment in the affected regions.

On the directions of the PM a crisis cell has also been formed to coordinate with all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies for damage assessment and rescue and relief efforts. The cell will work round the clock.

The premier has also directed Governor Gilgit Baltistan to immediately reach Gilgit and take charge of rescue and relief efforts in the region.

Joint Secretary Prime Minister Office Kazim Niaz will head crisis management cell at Prime Minister Office. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), respective Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Inter-Servies Publis Relations (ISPR) and Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) will be part of the crisis management cell.

President Mamnoon Hussain has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the natural calamity.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has directed army personnel to reach out where required to help affected people without waiting for orders.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif is on his way to Peshawar, to personally supervise rescue and relief efforts.

Pakistan and the region, along an active continental plate boundary, is often hit by earthquakes. In September 2013, a magnitude-7.7 quake struck Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing around 800 people. In 2005, the country was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless.

Afghanistan and India

Afghanistan’s CEO Abdullah Abdullah said reports of damage and injuries were coming in from Afghanistan’s northeast.

According initial reports, 15 people have been killed in Afghanistan.

“Disasters authorities to meet within the hour and respond to the needs,“ he tweeted.

Traffic came to a stop in downtown Kabul, with people getting out of their cars as they waited for the quake to pass.

Afghan media reported the deaths of 21 people and 40 wounded.

As buildings shook throughout north India, hundreds of people poured onto the streets from office blocks, hospitals and homes, AFP reporters and TV footage showed.

Delhi’s metro ground to a halt during the tremor although the airport continued operating.

“All of around 190 trains plying on the tracks were stopped at the time of the earthquake. The lines and the trains are now being restored after basic inspection of respective lines,” Anuj Dayal, Delhi Metro spokesman told AFP.

Cell phone networks were down in the Kashmir region.

An Abbottabad resident, Shoaib, told Dawn.com the earthquake triggered landslides in the area.

In pictures shared by Islamabad residents on Twitter, people are seen standing on roads after feeling tremors.

Shiv Sena workers storm BCCI office, Shukla condemns attack

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shiv-sena-bcci

New Delhi: Taking forward its campaign against Pakistani personalties, Shiv Sena workers today stormed the Indian Cricket Board headquarters in protest against planned talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shaharyar Khan here for resumption of bilateral cricketing ties.

The noisy protests by over a hundred slogan shouting members at the Board office during which BCCI President Shashank Manohar was ghearoed forced the cancellation of the much-anticipated talks today between him and Khan.

IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla strongly condemned the attack on the BCCI’s headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium. “Strongly condemns the attack on BCCI Office by Shiv Sena,” Shukla, a top BCCI functionary, wrote on his twitter handle.

“BCCI is a responsible body and will not do anything against national interest. Cricketing decisions should be left to BCCI.”

“Cricket is a gentleman’s game and the spirit of the game expects same generosity and tolerance from those who love the game,” he further tweeted.

The proposed series is the latest to come under attack from the right-wing party which has been protesting anything that has to do with Pakistan.

The talks on the proposed bilateral series have now been rescheduled to be held in Delhi tomorrow.

“The talks have not been called off. Mr Manohar and Mr Khan will speak to each other in evening today and tomorrow they are coming to Delhi for another round of talks,” Rajiv Shukla told PTI.

The protesting Sena workers were later taken into custody by the police.

Shouting slogans against Pakistan and the PCB chairman, the Sena workers surrounded Manohar, asking him not to have any ties with the neighbouring country, which they said sponsors terrorism.

Waving black and saffron flags, the workers sought to know from Manohar if he would go ahead with his meeting with the PCB chief here.

Sena Vibhag Pramukh Pandurang Sakpal told reporters that his party is firm that there should be no cricket matches between the two countries.

Asked about Sena being a part of the Maharashtra government, Sakpal said, “The government will do its job, we will do ours.”

“What we did today is Sena’s stance,” he said.

Manohar had invited Khan for talks on the much-anticipated cricket series scheduled in December.

Khan and PCB’s executive committee head Najam Sethi are in the city for the meeting after discussing the planned series with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur earlier on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai.

Thakur had assured him that a final decision could be taken later this month and conveyed Manohar’s invitation to visit India.

There is speculation that the two neighbours could play either a bilateral series in the UAE or agree to a possible triangular series in December also involving Bangladesh.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Congress leader Manish Tewari condemend the incident.

Tiwari described the incident as “abominable” and said law and order had completely broken down in Maharashtra.

He said Mumbai had been reduced to “mobocracy”, citing a spate of recent incidents, including the cancellation of ghazal singer Ghulam Ali’s show due to Sena’s protests.

“It is extremely unfortunate… This is extremely abominable. Law and order has completely broken down in Maharashtra. The President of India should take cognizance of this,” he said.

In the recent days, Sena activists had blackened the face of former BJP strategist Sudheendra Kulkarni, Chairman of the Observer Research Foundation, over his refusal to cancel the book launch function of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, prompting strong condemnation from political parties.

The Shiv Sena also forced the organisers to cancel the Mumbai concert of renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali.

(PTI)

England need 99 to win first Test

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Adil Rashid

Abu Dhabi: England need 99 runs in a possible 19 overs to win the first Test after Pakistan collapsed to 173 all out in their second innings in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The Test was heading for a draw after England declared their first innings at 598-9, but they bowled with fire and employed aggressive field settings on a weary fifth and final day pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch.

Spinners Adil Rashid (5-64) and Moeen Ali (2-28) did the damage while paceman James Anderson took 2-30.

(Agencies)

Test Cricket: Cook bats on as England closes on Pakistan total

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Cook

Abu Dhabi: Alastair Cook continued to bat solidly to help England approach Pakistan’s massive total on the fourth day of the first Test in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

The England captain was unbeaten on 237 as England reached 468 for five at tea, just 55 runs behind

Pakistan’s first innings total of 523 for eight declared as the prospects of a result on a flat Sheikh Zayed Stadium diminished.

Ben Stokes was the other unbeaten batsman with 16.

Cook came to the crease in the last hour of the second day and has since batted with authority and grit, smashing 17 boundaries during his resolute 471-ball knock.

He added 141 runs for the fourth wicket with Joe Root who made a brilliant 85 after England resumed at 290-3.

Paceman Rahat Ali provided Pakistan the breakthrough after they went without wicket in the extended two-and-a-half hour session due to Friday prayers.

After lunch Root played a rash shot off a wide delivery and was caught by wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed. He hit seven boundaries during his 143-ball stay.

But it was Cook’s third double century that enlivened an otherwise dull day.

Cook flicked paceman Wahab Riaz to backward square-leg for two to complete his double century off 395 deliveries, the second of the match behind Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik’s 245.

Cook has so far hit 16 boundaries in a 407-ball stay.

Root also batted with authority, reaching his 14th Test half-century with a reverse sweep boundary off Malik.

Pakistan were once again sloppy in the field as they missed another chance to dismiss Cook when wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed failed to take an inside edge off Riaz when the England captain was on 173.

Fawad Alam had let off Cook on 147 off spinner Zulfiqar Babar on Thursday.

Root also survived a confident leg-before shout when fast bowler Imran Khan trapped him but Pakistan’s review once again went unsuccessful.

Riaz was the pick of the bowlers with 3-116.

Pakistan’s frontline spinner Babar also struggled to take a wicket, conceding 132 runs in his 58 overs.

Pakistan has played seven Test matches at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, winning four, including the last two by massive margins against Australia (356 runs) and New Zealand (248 runs) and drawing the other three. It won the only Test match here against England by 72 runs in 2012.

Pakistani family refused accommodation in Mumbai, leaves dejected

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Pakistani-Family-Mumbai

Mumbai: A Pakistani family which arrived here to visit the Haji Ali ‘dargah’ to pray for their mentally challenged son was refused accommodation by several hotels in the city following which they spent the night on a pavement.

A sub-inspector of Railway Police Force (RPF) provided some succour to the family of around five members after they reached the Mumbai Central Railway Station on Wednesday but the family failed to find accommodation in any hotel or lodge, its senior inspector R K Arya said.

On October 4, the Pakistani family had arrived in India on a 40-day visa. On Wednesday afternoon, they reached Mumbai Central Railway Station by Suryanagri Express from Jodhpur. Their ordeal began soon as they were refused accommodation by several lodges and hotels, which they approached in South Mumbai.

“The only reason for refusal by lodges and hotels was that they (hotels) didn’t want to complete the formality of filling ‘Form-C’, which is to be submitted to a government department if people from outside the country come to the city on visa and stay in their lodges and hotels,” said RPF sub-inspector Mahesh Chauhan, who helped the family in their time of distress.

“They also said that the owners of the lodges and hotels told them that they were very small establishments and have no manpower to do the extra work of filling and submitting the Form-C,” he said.

After checking and verifying the family’s documents, Chauhan took them to a cabin at Mumbai Central Police Station, located just outside the railway station, and told them to rest for sometime, besides offering them tea and snacks, Arya said.

The family stayed near the police cabin till around 1-1.30 am yesterday, Chauhan said. They spent rest of the time sitting on a pavement outside the railway station before heading back to Jodhpur. Due to their experience in the city, the family cut short its trip and left yesterday.

The family members told Chauhan that they had arrived in the city to visit the Haji Ali dargah to pray for their 12-year-old son who was mentally challenged. They visited the dargah yesterday and later left for Jodhpur via Loksatti Express (from Bandra Terminus) by cancelling their earlier return tickets for October 18, the sub-inspector said.

(Agencies)

Test Cricket: Cook hits ton as England pursue mammoth total

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Cook

Abu Dhabi: England captain Alastair Cook knocked a solid hundred to lead England’s fightback on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Cook continued to bat without much problem as he reached 116 to take his team to 197 for one at tea with Ian Bell on 31 as the pair thwart Pakistan’s pace-cum-spin attack on a Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch.

England still trail Pakistan’s mammoth first innings total of 523 for eight by 326 runs.

Cook drove left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz for an exquisite cover drive for his tenth boundary to complete his 28th century in Tests, raising his bat in celebration.

When on 93 the England skipper also completed 1,000 runs in 11th Test this year, only the second batsman to reach 1,000 runs in 2015 behind team-mate Joe Root.

He has so far hit 11 boundaries during his 222-ball stay at the wicket.

Pakistan thought they had England skipper leg-before when he failed to connect a sweep off left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar but Australian umpire Paul Reiffel’s decision of not out was upheld on review.

Earlier, Cook and Moeen Ali resumed the day at 56-0, bringing up the century stand in the first hour of play as Pakistan attacked through pace at one end and spin from the other.

England’s last century stand came against New Zealand at Leeds earlier this year with Cook and now discarded Adam Lyth posting 177.

But at 116, left-hander Ali edged an outgoing delivery from paceman Imran Khan to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed who took a low catch to his left.

Bell survived some anxious moments at the crease with left-armer Zulfiqar Babar started to turn the ball on a pitch which did not assist England spinners on the first two days.

Babar was unlucky not to have Bell four overs before the interval when close-in fielder Shan Masood failed to hold on to an edge at silly point.

Bell, who survived some anxious moments before lunch, looked settled with three boundaries in his 104-ball knock.

(AFP)

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