Siasat Wala Blog

ISLAMABAD: Following opening of an account to collect funds for construction of Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand dams on orders of the Supreme Court, the benefactors across the country are contributing to the fund on daily basis and so far Rs441.645 million donation has been received. According to data compiled by the State Bank of Pakistan, Rs.59,438,771.22 (Rs 59.4 million) were collected on July 30, Rs.11,390,307 (Rs 11 million) on July 27, Rs.36,66,418.19 on July 26, Rs 31,850,931.56 on July 24, Rs 25,549,929.59 on July 23, Rs17,526,149.31 on July 20 and Rs.33,263,354.15 on July 19. Similarly, a sum of Rs 40,096,370.19 was deposited on July 18, Rs.60,432,101.02 on July 17, Rs34,295,141.07 on July 16, Rs 26,143,838.44 on July 13, Rs. 30,204,440.89 on July 12, Rs26,865,970 on July 11, Rs 5,374,636 on July 10, Rs 1,346,261 on July 9 and Rs 1,201,150 on July 6. In pursuance of directive of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, SBP has established “Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Diamer Bhasha and Moh

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was finalizing the reasons of failure of RTS (Results Transmission System) on July 25 (Election-2018). An official of ECP told a state-run wire service that it is an international practice that any system introduced is practiced before launching but due to shortage of time RTS could not be tested. He also said it was the demand of parliamentarians to launch and practice RTS in election 2018. Now ECP was analyzing the reasons of failure of RTS and share the findings with the media. He said, for the first time an online system to share results from 85,000 polling stations around the country to the central headquarters in Election Commission of Pakistan was introduced. The commission, he said, was investigating those complaints where results on a piece of plain paper were released instead of the ECP’s-issued Form-45. Sufficient copies of the forms were available with the commission, he added. The RTS is an android application whi

MEXICO CITY: Dozens of people were injured when a packed Aeromexico-operated Embraer jet crashed right after takeoff in Mexico’s state of Durango on Tuesday, but authorities said most were not seriously hurt and there were no fatalities. The mid-sized jet was almost full, with 103 people including two infants and four crew members on board, when it crashed at about 4 p.m. local time (2100 GMT), authorities said. Passengers and crew jumped to safety before the plane was engulfed in flames. Passenger Jackeline Flores told reporters the plane crashed shortly after taking off in heavy rain. She and her daughter escaped from a hole in the fuselage as the aircraft filled up with smoke and flames, she said. “A little girl who left the plane was crying because her legs were burned,” said Flores, who said she was Mexican but lived in Bogota, Colombia. Flores said her passport and documents burned in the fire. “I feel blessed and grateful to God,” she said. TV images showed the severely

ISLAMABAD: Former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak submitted a written unconditional apology in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday. The electoral body was hearing the suo moto notice of using indecent language by PTI leader against political opponents during electioneering. Pervez Khattak’s legal counsel submitted a written apology to the commission today. “I am embarrassed to have used inappropriate language during election campaigns for which I seek an unconditional apology,” the response read. Previously, in the similar notice, the electoral commission directed JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq to submit their affidavits vowing not to use such indecent language again, while additionally asking the legal counsel of Ayaz Sadiq to give arguments in the next hearing on August 9. According to the notices, the ECP said the use of “abusive, insolent and derogatory language” against other leaders is clear violation of i

ISLAMABAD: While rejecting the All Parties Conference demand of resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Babar Yaqoob has asked the political parties to accept mandate of the people after the elections. At a presser, he said, “The ECP expresses its sadness over the APC statement regarding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner. We reject and strongly condemn it as the July 25 polls were held in a free, fair and transparent manner.” He said that issuing of such a statement by the political parties without any evidence was unfortunate and against reality. The secretary said, “till to date no rigging complaint had been registered with ECP throughout the country”. He said that not respecting people of the country’s mandate due to personal interest is against the basic principles of democracy. “If any candidate has complaints then these will be dealt with as per the law and complaints should be filed according to the Const

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct by-election in NA-60 constituency where the election was  postponed owing to the disqualification of PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi after his conviction in the ephedrine case.  A bench of the apex court directed the electoral body to hold by-election in this constituency as per laws. This direction came after Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed withdrew his petition through which he had challenged the ECP decision to postpone the election in NA-60. He was to contest two National Assembly seats from Rawalpindi, but the election on NA-60 was postponed after the PML-N contestant was awarded life term. However, Sheikh Rasheed contested the July 25 election on NA-62 and emerged victorious. Speaking to media after the hearing, he said the top court declared the decision of the postponement of the election on this NA seat illegal. He said Sheikh Rashid Shafique will now contest

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan will announce the verdict in contempt case against former minister of state for interior Talal Chaudhry on August 2 (tomorrow). The apex court directed the accused to be present in court during tomorrow’s proceeding. The court had reserved its verdict in the case last month on July 11. The apex court had launched contempt of court proceedings against Talal Chaudhry for railing against the judiciary at a rally in the wake of former premier Nawaz Sharif’s ouster in the Panama Papers case last year. READ MORE:  Apex court indicts Talal Chaudhry in contempt of court case Previously, the minister had submitted a reply in the court and maintained that he was never indulged in mocking the judiciary, nor could he even think of committing contempt of court. He claimed that his statement about the judiciary was taken out of context. He said he had never wittingly or unwittingly acted in a manner, which can be deemed as contempt of court. At PML-N’

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of Al-Azizia and Flagship corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family till August 3.   Judge Muhammad Bashir put off the hearing after he was informed that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has yet not decided the Sharif family’s plea for transfer of both the cases to another accountability court. A day earlier, the two-judge bench comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan adjourned the hearing of the Sharif family’s plea for the transfer of the two reference till Aug 2. The former premier’s lawyer Khwaja Haris will forward his arguments on next hearing. The judges had earlier turned down a request by the appellants’ lawyer to grant a stay order, restraining the accountability judge from proceeding with the two pending cases against his clients till the matter at hand is decided. The counsel argued that the judge, who convicted Sharif, his daughter an

Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed talks with Washington in a tweet late Tuesday, saying “threats, sanctions and PR stunts won’t work”. Responding to US President Donald Trump’s surprise offer of talks without preconditions, Zarif wrote: “Iran & US had two years of talks. With EU/E3+Russia+China, we produced a unique multilateral accord — the JCPOA (nuclear deal). It’s been working. US can only blame itself for pulling out and leaving the table. Iran & US had 2 yrs of talks. With EU/E3+Russia+China, we produced a unique multilateral accord—the JCPOA. It’s been working. US can only blame itself for pulling out & leaving the table. Threats, sanctions & PR stunts won’t work. Try respect: for Iranians & for int'l commitments — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 31, 2018 Trump said Monday he was open to talks with Iran’s leaders “any time” and reiterated the point the following day, telling reporters: “I have a feeling they’ll be talking to us p

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday resumed the hearing of a reference filed against former finance minister Ishaq Dar by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income.  Judge Muhammad Bashir is recording the statement of a prosecution witness, Ishtiaq Ahmed. At the previous hearing, the accountability judge had reserved his verdict on an application filed by two co-accused seeking acquittal in the case. Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Rizvi, who are directors of Dar’s companies, had filed the application requesting the judge to exonerate them from all charges for want of evidence. Qazi Misbah, the counsel for the two co-accused, contended the prosecution has failed to provide compelling evidence to prove the allegations leveled against his clients. The third co-accused President National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Saeed Ahmed, had already filed an application before the court for his acquittal which

ISLAMABAD: The interim government has decided to maintain the prices of petroleum products at the existing levels for the current month.  A notification put out by the Ministry of Finance said the prices of petroleum products have been kept the current levels in order to provide relief to the common man despite the recommendation by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) for jacking up the rates to keep up with rising prices in the global market. Accordingly, prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene, and light diesel will remain Rs95.24 per litre, Rs112.94, Rs83.96, and Rs75.37, respectively. Ogra had recommended an increase price of high speed diesel by Rs2per litre, petrol Rs2.50 per litre, kerosene Rs5 per litre and light diesel oil by Rs6 per litre for August. On July 07, in order to provide some relief to people, the caretaker government had reduced prices of petroleum products by lowering the general sales tax on them. The government reduced the GST from 17 per cent to 12 per ce

Famous real life couple of Bollywood family, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be seen sharing screen space on silver screen eight years after Raavan (2010). Both of them were presented script of ‘Gulab Jamun’ by director Anurag Kashyup around one and a half years ago, which, after thoroughly going through, was very much admired by Aishwarya, however Abhishek could not give it a go ahead then.  Now, Ash has confirmed in an interview to Mid Day that both of them have agreed to do the movie. “AB [Abhishek] and I have agreed to do Gulab Jamun. I told AB that he needs to decide what he wants to do after Manmarziyan,” she said “We had agreed on the idea earlier. However, it was around the same time that AB decided to take time-out. After the hiatus, he returned with Manmarziyan, which coincidentally is directed by Anurag Kashyap. That’s when the chatter around Gulab Jamun began again, and we finally came on board. It is a beautiful script, and we fit the narrative per

HARARE: Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC party on Tuesday claimed victory in the country’s historic elections while the government threatened to jail leaders announcing results as the wait for official tallies dragged on. Electoral officials warned that gathering the results of the poll, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa said looked “extremely positive” for him, was “nowhere near” complete and no announcement would be made until as late as Saturday. The candidates’ competing claims following the first elections since former leader Robert Mugabe was ousted in November raise the prospect of fraud allegations and a possible run-off vote on September 8. That would be required if no candidate wins 50 percent of ballots cast by Zimbabwe’s 5.6 million voters in the first round. Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) official Tendai Biti said on Tuesday that the party was sure its candidate Nelson Chamisa had won and that if he was not declared victorious, it would “announce our own re

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have mutually agreed to extend bilateral relations and work collectively particularly in aviation sector. Federal Minister for Aviation Lt. Gen. (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi and Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan Yao Jing held a meeting on Tuesday and discussed different matters of mutual cooperation in various sectors. Director General Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Hassan Baig and senior officials of aviation division were also present on this occasion. The Chinese Ambassador appreciated the role of the caretaker government and that it has ensured free, fair and transparent general elections. He commended the efforts of caretaker setup for the smooth transition of the government and expressed satisfaction on overall conduct of general elections. The envoy said the caretaker government has made the successful democratic process to further pave the way for the political stability in Pakistan, which is mandatory for the development of the country. The aviati

NEW YORK: Award-winning actor Alan Alda disclosed on Tuesday that he has Parkinson’s disease, saying he did not want the revelation that he had the nervous system disorder to be told from “a sad point of view.” The 82-year-old star of TV series “M*A*S*H” told “CBS This Morning” that he had learned of the diagnosis more than three years ago, but that so far the progressive disease has not stopped him from acting or pursuing other career opportunities. “I’ve had a richer life than I’ve had up until now,” Alda told “CBS This Morning.” Alda, a six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in “M*A*S*H,” a CBS comedy-drama set during the Korean War. He also wrote and directed numerous episodes of the show, which ran from 1972 to 1983, and later appeared in other TV series, plays and films. In 2004, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in “The Aviator.” Read More: “I’ve surrendered” Irrfan Khan on his battle w

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook said on Tuesday it had shut down more than 30 fake pages and accounts involved in what appeared to be a “coordinated” attempt to sway public opinion on political issues ahead of November midterm elections, but cannot identify the source. It said the “bad actor” accounts on the world’s biggest social network and its photo-sharing site Instagram could not be tied to Russian actors, who US officials say used the platform to spread disinformation ahead of the 2016 presidential election in the United States. But the tech giant did say “some of the activity is consistent” with that of the Saint Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) — the Russian troll farm that managed many false Facebook accounts used to influence the 2016 vote. “We’re shutting down 32 pages and accounts engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior without saying that a specific group or country is responsible,” Facebook said in a series of blog posts. “We’re still in the very early sta

Earth’s neighboring planet, Mars, is closer than it has been in the past 15 years, offering unusually bright views of the Red Planet’s auburn hues. “The Red Planet and Earth haven’t been this close since 2003, and won’t be again until 2035,” NASA said. Astronomers around the world trained their telescopes on the sky on July 31, when the Red Planet was 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers) away. One popular public viewing spot was the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, where Mars was visible with the naked eye as a bright orange spot in the sky, according to a live broadcast held to mark the celestial event. “Mars is invading us tonight,” said observatory director Ed Krupp. The nearest point to Earth in Mars’ elliptical orbit came at around 1100 GMT on Tuesday, NASA said. Astronomers are interested in Mars’ travel path because it helps decide the best times for spacecraft to launch. Read More: Green comet is approaching Earth When the Sun, Earth and Mars are lined up,

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was mulling whether Americans should be able to make their own 3D-printed guns amid an uproar over his government’s settlement with a Texas entrepreneur who wants to provide free blueprints for the firearms. The tweet comes one day before Cody Wilson, a self-proclaimed “crypto-anarchist” and gun rights advocate, is to make the open-source digital files for making so-called “ghost guns” available for download. Politicians, gun control advocates, and members of law enforcement expressed concerns that anyone — from a teenager to a convicted felon — could make untraceable weapons, including plastic ones that could evade metal detectors. The technology presents Trump with tough questions about protecting the public, the limits of gun ownership rights and his own political fortunes. Amid last-minute legal maneuvers to stop Wilson, Trump weighed in on the debate, revealing that he had spoken to America’s main pro-gun lobby, the Nation

KARACHI: A seven-year-old girl belonging to Karachi’s Bhittaiabad area was murdered after being raped and tortured for a month, a medico-legal officer confirmed on Tuesday.  According to ARY News correspondent, body of a seven-year-old girl was found from Bhittaiabad area earlier in the day and was moved to Jinnah Hospital for medico-legal examination. The medico-legal officer said that the minor girl was brutally tortured and raped for about a month as her body has severe injury marks including those of cigarette burns.The cause of death is listed, however, as asphyxiation due to strangulation. The incident is the latest in several child abuse cases in the country. Earlier this year, Pakistan was shaken by rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab Ansari in Punjab province’s Kasur. Kidnapped on January 4 and found from a garbage heap on January 9, Zainab’s autopsy report suggested that the minor was sexually assaulted before being strangulated to death. On January 21, the Supre

RIYADH: Saudi King Salman has arrived for a holiday in NEOM, a still-undeveloped mega city that the crown prince has pledged to build from scratch in the kingdom’s remote northwest, state media said Monday. NEOM appears an unusual holiday destination for the 82-year-old monarch, who is known to spend his annual summer vacation in exotic palaces in locations such as Morocco. The king “has arrived in NEOM, where he will spend some time in rest and recreation”, the official Saudi Press Agency said in a brief statement. It was unclear where the king would stay in the still unbuilt area that remains off limits to civilians. NEOM, announced with much fanfare last October by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is part of a series of multi-billion-dollar projects as the kingdom seeks to diversify its oil-reliant economy. The Saudi government says NEOM — billed as a regional silicon valley — will draw investments worth $500 billion from the kingdom’s vast Public Investment Fund, as well as

ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a telephone call to Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan on Tuesday. He felicitated him on victory of his party in general election 2018 and expressed well wishes for upcoming democratic government in Pakistan. Both leaders agreed to start new relation era between the two brotherly Islamic countries. Read More: Indian PM Modi congratulates Imran Khan on election victory The post Turkey’s Erdogan felicitates Imran Khan on election victory appeared first on ARYNEWS .

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Aleem Khan on August 8 over investigations in a case related to his offshore company. The anti-graft watchdog has ordered Aleem Khan to appear in person at NAB’s regional office in Lahore and answer several questions for owning an offshore company. He Yesterday, Aleem Khan’s counsel Azhar Siddique had appeared before NAB and submitted several documents related to the case. However, the watchdog was not satisfied and instead summoned Aleem Khan to seek further clarification. It may been mentioned that Aleem Khan is being considered as the next chief minister of Punjab. However, the party is split as he is embroiled in several NAB references and ongoing investigations. Aleem Khan is currently facing investigation by NAB for owning an offshore company, and has further allegations of land-grabbing and owning assets beyond known means. The post NAB summons Aleem Khan in offshore company

RAWALPINDI: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, jailed earlier this month over graft charges, has been moved back to Adiala jail from Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) after medical reports showed him perfectly alright, ARY News reported. Sharif and his daughter were jailed on July 13 after a graft court sentenced them to 10 and seven years respectively over properties in Britain which emerged in the wake of Panama Papers revelations. Reportedly, due to non-compliance with doctor’s advice, he was fallen sick inside prison on Sunday and was brought to cardiology ward of the hospital amid tight security and the ward was declared to be a sub-jail. Sources in Pims hospital said Sharif’s medical reports were normal, therefore he was being shifted back to the jail. Talking to ARY News, the executive director of PIMS said Nawaz was shifted to the hospital because his blood pressure and sugar level was high. Nawaz has been advised to take medicines as per doctor’s prescription

KARACHI: Former cricketer Javed Miandad on Tuesday clarified that his recent remarks regarding horsetrading in politics weren’t directed at his old friend Imran Khan or his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), ARY News reported. In a video posted on his Facebook page, the legendary batsman said that a section of media misquoted him by saying that his remarks and anger over horsetrading after the July 25 elections were directed at the winning party led by his friend Imran Khan’s party PTI. “My statement was aimed at other, older parties who are involved in horsetrading against PTI, the majority party. Those who are in majority never opt for such measures,” said Miandad. The former cricketer also said that he trusts Imran Khan who “with his struggle brought change in the country”. “In fact, I and my family voted for PTI and Imran Khan,” said the legendary cricketer. Miandad, who also served as Pakistan cricket team’s coach in the past, was a part of the 1992 World Cup winning tea

JALALABAD: At least 15 people were killed on Tuesday in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad when gunmen stormed a government building, trapping dozens inside after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance gate, officials and witnesses said. The attack underlines the country’s dire security situation after 17 years of war, with Islamic State increasingly claiming attacks on civilian targets even as pressure builds for peace talks between the Western-backed government and the Taliban. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though the Taliban issued a statement denying involvement. After several hours during which intermittent gunfire and explosions could be heard, provincial government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said the incident appeared to be over with two gunmen killed and much of the building destroyed. He said at least 15 people had been killed and 15 wounded although the total may rise as rescue workers search the site. Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the loc

JALALABAD: A suicide bomb and gun attack by militants on an Afghan government building in Jalalabad on Tuesday killed at least 15 people, some burned “beyond recognition”, officials said, the latest in a series of assaults on the eastern city. On the other side of the country a roadside bomb apparently intended for security forces hit a passenger bus and killed 11 people, marking yet another bloody day for civilians who have borne the brunt of violence in Afghanistan. The attack in Jalalabad targeted the compound of the refugees and repatriations department. It ended after more than five hours of intense fighting between militants and security forces, said Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province. At least 15 people were killed and the same number were wounded, Khogyani said. Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal said some of the dead were “burned beyond recognition”. The raid began with a suicide attacker blowing up a bomb-laden car at the ent

BRUSSELS: Economic growth in the eurozone slowed in the second quarter, official data has shown, feeding concerns that global trade tensions fuelled by Washington may be hurting Europe’s economy. Major economic institutions — including the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund — have warned that growth in the eurozone risks taking a hit from the rising protectionism that stemmed from the “America First” policies of US President Donald Trump. The fresh data released Tuesday confirmed the fears with growth in the 19-country single currency bloc hitting 0.3 percent in the April to June period, below the 0.4 percent in the previous quarter, the EU’s Eurostat statistics agency said. On a year-to-year basis, economic growth in the eurozone reached 2.1 percent, which was far lower than the 2.5 percent in the previous quarter and also weaker than forecasts by analysts. “Trade uncertainty seems to have already had a significant effect on the Eurozone economy in the second q

MANCHESTER: England’s decision to recall Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid to the test side to face India on Wednesday, despite him not playing four-day county cricket, has been criticised by two of his county’s most prominent former players. The 30-year-old signed a white-ball only contract with his county Yorkshire in February but said he “was not finished” with the longest format of the game. He did not feature in the recent four-day game with Lancashire which included several members of the England squad on both sides. But he will be England’s sole specialist spinner in the first test at Edgbaston with no place for Moeen Ali after the team was announced on Tuesday. Former England and Yorkshire captain Michael Vaughan said that the decision to pick Rashid was “ridiculous” prompting the Bradford-born spinner to say that his comments were “stupid”. “If I’m stupid to suggest that he should have played a four-day game leading into a test series against the number one team in the w

Rishi Kapoor and Tapsee Pannu starring film “Mulk” will be releasing as per schedule on August 3, director Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk has said in a statement, which he shared on Twitter. There were reports of a stay order issued on the release of Mulk being circulated on social media which the filmmaker says are false. “No such order has been served upon us. If someone has mischievously mislead the court and if the court has really passed such an order we hall move in a petition to vacate the same ASAP,” read the statement. “Logistically all arrangements are in place to release the film on the set date – August 3,” he said adding that said no such order has been served upon him. pic.twitter.com/bBRTMn5iXA — Anubhav Sinha (@anubhavsinha) July 30, 2018 A court in Mumbai had issued an interim stay on the release of Mulk after an application was filed against production and entertainment agency Benaras Media Works Limited. The court was hearing an application filed by one Vandana Punw

MUMBAI: Dale Steyn admits overtaking Shaun Pollock to become South Africa’s highest wicket-taker has become something of a millstone around his neck but he is determined to prove he still has lot more to offer than merely claiming a 422nd test victim. The 35-year-old paceman has been closing on Pollock’s tally of 421 wickets for a couple of years but, limited by injury to three tests since November 2016, has managed only to reach, not pass, the milestone. Having proved his fitness on the recent tour of Sri Lanka, however, Steyn wants to get the record in the bag as quickly possible and move on with the rest of his career. “Actually, it’s like a bit of a burden now,” he told Reuters in an interview. “I hope it just gets out of the way and we can just carry on. Because there’s more wickets in me than 421. I have got 500 plus on the horizon so I don’t know why we are so consumed on one number. “When I am bowling it’s like ‘you’re gonna get there, you’re gonna get there’. I know I am

EDGBASTON: England cannot expect to bully a much-improved India captain Virat Kohli in their five-match test series that begins at Edgbaston on Wednesday, pace bowler James Anderson said. India’s struggles with the bat on their last tour of England four years ago was reflected by Kohli’s patchy form in their 3-1 series defeat. The batsman was dismissed four times by Anderson in that series. Asked if he could have a similar impact against Kohli when the two teams face off again, Anderson told Sky Sports: “Not really… it’s a long time ago, a lot of cricket has happened since then and he’s improved as a player in that time. “You can’t pay any attention to that at all, it’s not about what’s gone on in the past, that’s not going to help me get him out this week, it’s about what I do and what the team does in the next six weeks.” Anderson, who picked up 25 wickets when the two teams met in England in 2014, could beat Australian Glenn McGrath’s record for most test wickets by a fast bowl