PSL 2023: Journalists, police clash outside Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium

Senior journalist Imran Riaz and a group of people clashed with police outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. All hell broke loose after a group of people were denied entry by police officials for wearing masks in solidarity with the journalist Arshad Sharif.

The 49-year-old Sharif was killed in Kenya on October 23 last year when local police opened fire at his car on the outskirts of the capital city. Later, Nairobi expressed regret over the matter, saying it had been a case of ‘mistaken identity’. 

A clip has been making rounds on social media where masked men raising slogans in favour of Sharif can be seen attempting to enter the stadium along with Imran Riaz. However, the journalists had an altercation with the police after they were asked to remove the masks in line with the policy/regulations of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Notably, the incident took place during one of the matches held in the venue of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). While the journalist argued that wearing the mask of Sharif was not an anti-state act, senior officials remained firm on their stance and barred the group from entering the stadium. 

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Imran riaz khan clash with police outside gaddafi stadium... #imranriazkhan #PSL8 #psl2023 #punjabpolice

07:12 PM · Feb 26, 2023

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PSL to continue in Lahore and Rawalpindi: PCB

The eighth edition of the top-tier league in Pakistan has garnered mixed attention thus far. Recently, there was an ongoing tension between the PCB and the Punjab government pertaining to sharing the cost of lighting routes during the fixtures in Lahore.

The government asked the apex cricket board to pay PKR 450 million involving the security arrangements made for the PSL games. However, after hours of deliberation PCB chief Najam Sethi reached an agreement with the officials to continue the fixtures as planned in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif too intervened to help settle the dispute with the Punjab government regarding security issue.