Lahore: The latest T20I rankings for batters on Wednesday witnessed significant changes, particularly highlighting players from Ireland and Pakistan following their series in Dublin.

Andrew Balbirnie from Ireland advanced six places to 53rd after scoring 128 runs across three matches against Pakistan.

His teammate, Harry Tector, also made notable progress, jumping 12 spots to 69th after accumulating 98 runs in the series.

From Pakistan, the aggressive left-hander Fakhar Zaman climbed four places to 57th in the updated batting rankings.

Mohammad Rizwan (781 points) and Babar Azam (761 points) held their positions at third and fourth respectively in the ICC T20 batting rankings, with Suryakumar Yadav remaining at the top with 861 rating points.

In the bowling rankings, Imad Wasim made a substantial leap, moving up 24 spots to tie for 52nd. He also advanced five places to 16th in the all-rounder rankings, thanks to his economical bowling against Ireland.

Shadab Khan, however, experienced a setback, dropping six places to 33rd in the bowling rankings after conceding 54 runs in four overs without taking a wicket during the first T20I. This performance led to his exclusion from the subsequent two matches against Ireland.

Besides it, Haris Rauf fell three spots to 27th in the rankings after missing the Ireland series.

Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), held a briefing session with journalists on Wednesday at local hotel in which it was shared that SPARC along with other organizations wrote a letter to Finance Ministry of Pakistan and demanded to increase taxation on cigarettes.

It was proposed that tobacco taxation needs to be increased by at least 26% in upcoming federal budget. Pakistan faces a significant challenge with widespread tobacco consumption, with over 31.9 million adults aged 15 years and above identified as current tobacco users, constituting nearly 19.7% of the adult population.

 Smoking-related illnesses claim over 160,000 lives annually, representing a substantial 1.6% of the nation's GDP each year. However, in the fiscal year 2022-23, cigarette taxes covered only 16% of these expenses, marking a decline from 19.5% in 2019.

Dr Khalil Ahmad, program manager SPARC stated that, the affordability of cigarettes and the devastating toll of smoking on public health are indeed pressing concerns that demand urgent action. When cigarettes are inexpensive, it can encourage more people, especially the youth and those with limited financial means, to start smoking or to continue the habit despite the known health risks. The loss of innocent lives due to smoking-related illnesses is tragic and preventable. It underscores the importance of implementing effective tobacco control measures, including increased taxation on cigarettes, to make them less affordable and discourage consumption. Furthermore, comprehensive tobacco control strategies should encompass not only taxation but also measures such as public education campaigns, smoke-free policies and support for smoking cessation programs.

Malik Imran Ahmad, Country Head Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) said, that increasing tobacco taxes, as recommended by global health organizations like World Health Organization and the World Bank, can indeed be an effective measure to reduce consumption and generate revenue for healthcare. A 26.6% FED increase, as proposed for the fiscal year 2024-25, appears to be a significant step forward. Not only could it help recoup a substantial portion of healthcare costs, but it also has the potential to discourage hundreds of thousands of individuals from smoking. Additionally, the projected revenue increase could be valuable for funding various public health initiatives and strengthening the national economy.

It's concerning to see the extent of tobacco consumption in Pakistan and the associated health and economic burden it brings due to easy affordability of cigarettes. Organizations such as Human Development Foundation, Aurat Foundation and Chromatic Trust alongside SPARC have raised their concerns on this crucial public health issue.

Lahore: Provincial Information Minister Azma Bokhari said that the law of defamation is not against any journalist, it is against those who disrepute others respect by telling lies.

“All journalistic organizations should write down their concerns and give them to me by Sunday as  their legitimate issues will be taken into account,” said the minister while addressing a press conference at the DGPR on Wednesday.

Azma Bokhari said that it is being said that freedom of expression is going to be banned as this is a black law but there is no such thing.

This law, she said,  is being brought so that people’s respect are not put at stake to earn dollars and cheap fame. The need to introduce defamation law arose because in the old defamation law no case could go beyond a notice.

She stated that an allegation was levelled on Shahbaz Sharif [the incumbent prime minister] then they offered Rs10 billion and withdraw from the case.

Similarly, an allegation was also levelled on Khawaja Asif which could not be proved. She said that the police would have no role in this law.

“A High Court Judge will be given the status of a tribunal, the Judge will have to hear only 2 cases a day and the cases will be completed in 180 days,” said the minister.

She stated that they did  not want to use this law for politics and they did not want to disrepute people. 

Azma said, “There are many news aired in our country which are not published in foreign countries because the laws are strong there,”.

The minister said that a working journalist would have no problem with this law, adding that a person who would lie under the guise of a journalist with a specific agenda would face problem with this law.

 This is the law of the common citizen so that no one can be blackmailed.

Azma said, “ Freedom of expression can neither be restricted nor  any one will be allowed to commit wrongdoing,”.

 She said that no one is afraid of social media, but someone objects to the allegations of social media, adding that the social media would have to run within the parameters of decency and civilization.

“My father and sisters were accused, I will bring the first defamation case myself. They say Azma Bokhari speaks a lot against PTI, such tactics are being used to put her under pressure. Everyone should know that Azma Bokhari is not going to come under anyone's pressure,” she added.