ISLAMABAD (AP) — Fans are allowed to attend the four remaining games in the Pakistan Super League after approval by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday.
Permission for spectators at all four playoff games came two days after Sharif approved a request from franchise owners to open the doors to the PSL final in Lahore on Sunday.
Pakistan’s biggest sports spectacle of the year started behind closed doors late last month with fans asked to stay home because of soaring fuel prices related to the Iran war.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister in the government, announced the doors reopening on social media after meeting with Sharif in Islamabad.
He wrote on X that Sharif wanted the fans to “use public transport or minimize fuel consumption while attending the matches, in line with the ongoing national austerity efforts.”
The government has urged people to restrict travel and to work from home and Naqvi said it wouldn’t be right to have 30,000 fans attending cricket matches every day while the government is asking the public to stay home.
PSL venues were also reduced from six to just Lahore and Karachi as part of austerity measures.
Peshawar Zalmi, led by Babar Azam, takes on three-time champions Islamabad United in the qualifier at Karachi on Tuesday with the winner advancing to the final.
The loser faces the winner of Wednesday's eliminator between first-timers Hyderabad Kingsmen and Multan Sultans on Friday for the second spot in the finale, with all three of those matches in Lahore.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
FILE - A view of the Gaddafi Stadium, where opening cricket match of the Pakistan Super League between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen, is taking place without spectators, in Lahore, Pakistan, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — At least 42 people were killed in eastern Chad after a clash between two families over a water point escalated into a cycle of reprisals, the country’s deputy prime minister said late Sunday.
Limane Mahamat said during a visit to the village of Igote, in the Wadi Fira province, near the border with Sudan, where the clashes occurred on Saturday, that 42 people were killed and 10 wounded. He said those injured were evacuated to the provincial health center.
Mahamat said the cycle of reprisals had spread over a fairly large area, prompting an intervention by the army. He said the “swift response” by the military helped contain the clashes and that the situation is now “under control."
The deputy prime minister announced the launch of a 'customary mediation' process in the village and of judicial proceedings to determine criminal responsibility.
Intercommunal clashes over resources are common in the Central African country. Last year, clashes between farmers and herders in southwestern Chad left 42 people dead and several homes burned.
Mahamat said the government will take “all necessary measures” to prevent a destabilization of the border area, where the clashes took place.
Chad's eastern provinces have for several months been hosting refugees fleeing the war in Sudan and are facing increasing pressure on resources and security. Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees have poured across the border into Chad since the conflict began.
In February, Chad closed its border with Sudan “until further notice,” calling it an attempt to limit the spread of conflict into its territory after multiple crossings by fighters with the warring Sudanese factions.
The war in Sudan has killed more than 40,000 people, according to United Nations figures, but aid groups say the true number could be many times higher.
The conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million people forced to flee their homes. It also has fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of Sudan into famine.
In this photo release by the Chadian Press Agency, Limane Mahamat, deputy prime minister, center left, is greeted upon his arrival at Igote village following a clash between two families over a water point, in the Wadi Fira, Chad, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Chadian Press Agency via AP)
In this photo release by the Chadian Press Agency, Limane Mahamat, deputy prime minister, center, arrives at Igote village following a clash between two families over a water point, in the Wadi Fira, Chad, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Chadian Press Agency via AP)
