The Bangladesh selectors have called up Mrittunjoy Chowdhury as the injured Taskin Ahmed’s replacement in the 14-member squad for the three-match ODI series against Ireland in Chelmsford next month. Taskin’s side strain, that kept him out of the Dhaka Test – also against Ireland – this week, has sidelined him for four weeks.Mrittunjoy is a left-arm fast bowler who has impressed in domestic white-ball tournaments in the last two seasons. He has 12 wickets in eight games the ongoing Dhaka Premier League, Bangladesh’s domestic List A competition, following 17 in the previous season. He was also quite good in the last two Bangladesh Premier League seasons, having taken 15 and eight wickets, respectively. Mrittunjoy also bowled in the Bangladesh national team’s nets multiple times during the domestic season.In the only other change in the squad, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam was drafted in for Nasum Ahmed in a like-for-like replacement. Thus, the core of the squad that beat Ireland 2-0 in the home ODI series in Sylhet last month was retained.

Bangladesh squad changes

In: Taijul Islam, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury
Out: Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed

Tamim Iqbal will continue to lead the side, with Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das also headlining the batting department. The impressive Towhid Hridoy remains in the squad, alongside Najmul Hossain Shanto and Yasir Ali. Rony Talukdar is the back-up opener after his remarkable recall into the senior team saw him do quite well in the T20Is, although he is yet to make his ODI debut.All of this also means that senior batter Mahmudullah, who was rested for the Ireland ODIs at home last month, remains out of the team.Mehidy Hasan Miraz provides a spin-bowling option alongside Shakib and Taijul, while Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Hasan Mahmud are in the pace department alongside Mrittunjoy.Bangladesh will leave for Chelmsford in early May. They will play a practice match on May 5, followed by the three ODIs – part of the World Cup Super League – on May 9, 12 and 14. This series is the last one of the Super League, the top eight sides from where directly qualify for the World Cup later this year. Bangladesh, though, are guaranteed participants, by currently sitting fourth on the points table.This, if Ireland – who are currently placed 11th – manage to sweep Bangladesh 3-0, they can climb straight up to eighth at the expense of South Africa if they have a better net run rate (NRR). Although both teams will have then ended on 98 points each, the first tie-breaker would be the number of wins; that too would be nine in case Ireland win all three ODIs against Bangladesh, and so NRR would come into play.Bangladesh squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury

كشف نادي بارادو المنافس في بطولة الدوري الجزائري عن الوجهة المقبلة لجناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، عادل بولبينة، في الميركاتو الصيفي.

وارتبط اسم بولبينة كثيرًا في الأسابيع القليلة الماضية بإمكانية الانتقال إلى صفوف الزمالك، لكن توقفت المفاوضات منذ فترة بين الناديين بسبب المطالب المادية.

وكانت هناك مفاوضات بين الزمالك وبارادو لكن طلبات النادي الجزائري المالية كانت مرتفعة وهو ما أغلق الملف حتى دخل أحد الأندية الخليجية القوية.

اقرأ أيضًا | “كل يوم نادي”.. محمد شريف يرد على أنباء انتقاله إلى الزمالك وبيراميدز

وتواصل بطولات مع حسن زطشي رئيس نادي بارادو وكشف عن وجهة بولبينة المقبلة، وقال: “لقد تم الاتفاق على كل شيء مع نادي الدحيل”.

وأضاف: “خلال ساعات سيتم الإعلان عن الصفقة فور التوقيع على جميع عقود الانتقال، ليصبح بولبينة لاعبًا جديدًا في الدحيل”.

ولم يحسم الزمالك أي صفقة صيفية حتى الوقت الحالي، في انتظار إنهاء حظر القيد من قبل الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” بعد دفع مستحقات بعض اللاعبين والمدربين السابقين.

Chelsea are known to have one of the best academy systems in Europe, with the likes of Peter Osgood graduating from the academy, John Terry going from a 14-year-old signed by the club to the club captain, and a crop of players who are now scattered across the league at various clubs.

Mason Mount, Dominic Solanke, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Lewis Hall, Valentino Livramento, Marc Guehi, Nathan Ake, Declan Rice, Tariq Lamptey and Ian Maatsen are just some of those in England, whilst the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jamal Musiala and Conor Gallagher are all thriving outside of England.

Whilst Chelsea have clearly produced high-end talent in every area of the pitch, there seems to be a clear pattern of highly rated full-back talents emerging through Cobham, with plenty of the above list leaving the club due to the emergence of another Cobham talent, who goes by the name Reece James.

Chelsea's right-back situation

James is now 25 years old and has made 168 appearances for Chelsea since breaking through into the first team from the academy, following a prior loan spell at Wigan Athletic.

The talented right-back has scored 12 goals and provided 23 assists in that time, totalling 11,503 minutes played, which includes playing a significant role in their 2020/21 Champions League triumph.

Despite the clear abundance of talent James has, one thing that has held him back throughout his career is persistent injury troubles, already missing 104 games in his Chelsea career so far, suffering from injuries or illness on 15 occasions.

Malo Gusto is another talented right back Chelsea have on their books, with him and James often rotating in Enzo Maresca’s side, looking to offer tactical balance for the Italian in his game plan.

However, Chelsea may have let go another Cobham academy graduate who would have been a perfect figure for this squad, not only adding extra experience, but also some extra 1v1 defensive ability.

The ex-Chelsea star who's outshining James & Guston

Chelsea sold Ola Aina to Italian club, Torino, back in 2019, allowing the fullback to leave for a fee of around £8.7m.

Six years later, the 28-year-old finds himself playing for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, with his side currently sitting third in the league, and his performances are playing a massive part in this.

Stats (per 90 mins)

Aina

James

Gusto

Goals + Assists

0.12

0.32

0.12

Progressive Carries

1.99

0.70

2.24

Progressive Passes

3.53

5.96

5.20

Key Passes

0.41

1.23

0.92

Crosses into Pen Area

0.29

0.18

0.26

Shot-Creating Actions

1.87

1.93

2.63

Tackles

1.91

1.23

2.24

Blocks

1.12

1.58

1.64

Interceptions

1.20

0.97

0.99

Ball Recoveries

5.77

4.56

5.26

When comparing Aina to James and Gusto this season, you can see the 28-year-old offers even stronger defensive qualities with ball recoveries and interceptions, but can also get forward and put dangerous crosses into the box, making 0.29 crosses into the penalty area per 90.

Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley labelled Aina as “exceptional” back in December, alluding to many other Forest players getting the credit, but not enough being shown to the full-back. According to former Nigeria international and Wigan Athletic striker, Julius Efosa Aghahowa, he’s even now “the best right-back in the Premier League”.

Aina has proven himself as a Premier League quality fullback, who offers versatility to play on both sides, can lead by example, and brings brilliant intangibles to a squad.

This could have been the exact character Chelsea needed to keep around from their own academy, especially when looking at the injury-prone nature of the super-talented James.

Chelsea struck gold selling £37.5m star who Pochettino was “so happy” with

Chelsea struck gold selling £37.5m ace who Pochettino was “so happy” with

ByConnor Holden Feb 19, 2025

Manchester United could pursue a summer move for an “outstanding” striker this summer, who may be targeted instead of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, according to a report.

Osimhen transfer race hotting up

Last month, it was revealed Osimhen has a release clause of around £62m in his Napoli contract, which is set to become active in the summer, and the race for the Nigerian’s signature is now hotting up.

The Red Devils clearly hold an interest in the Galatasaray loanee, having submitted a verbal contract offer, but it appears they could be lagging behind in the transfer race, given that Premier League rivals Arsenal are said to have overtaken them.

In fact, it seems like the Gunners are making good progress in their pursuit of the 26-year-old, with a report claiming they have now agreed a £62m deal ahead of the summer, having informed Napoli they are willing to stump up the release clause.

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As such, United may have to turn their attention to alternative targets, and a report from GiveMeSport has revealed they could instead pursue a move for FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, who may be more attainable.

Ruben Amorim is determined to sign a striker this summer, and the manager is scouring the market for potential targets, but a deal for the Porto star could prove to be very expensive.

Aghehowa has a release clause of £84m in his Porto contract, which could make it difficult for United to get a deal done, should the Portuguese side insist on receiving the full amount.

Osimhen remains Amorim’s dream target, but a move for the 20-year-old could be one to watch, should Porto be willing to accept a lower fee.

"Outstanding" Aghehowa "has everything" to become a top striker

The Spaniard is still very young, but he could be capable of going on to establish himself as a top striker, if the high praise he has received from journalist Josh Bunting is anything to go by.

The starlet has been prolific in Portugal this season, scoring 14 league goals, while also bagging six goals in nine Europa League games, which could indicate he is ready for a big move to the Premier League.

That said, it may be very difficult for United to get a deal done this summer, should Porto insist on the release clause being paid in full, considering their financial problems, which were recently outlined by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Perhaps if United manage to offload some high-earning players this summer, they may be able to dip into the transfer market, but given the severity of their financial issues, it is difficult to see them shelling out £84m on Aghehowa.

Chelsea returned to fourth in the Premier League for the time being, after beating Southampton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, with goals coming from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella.

They also kept their first clean sheet in the Premier League since December 22nd, when they drew 0-0 with Everton at Goodison Park. The Blues have conceded 36 goals in 27 games so far this season.

Despite only facing seven shots against the Saints, they did create two “big chances” with their two shots on target, generating 0.72 xG and forcing Chelsea’s new shot-stopper into action.

Chelsea's rising star

Filip Jorgensen was signed in the summer by Chelsea, joining from Villarreal for a fee of around £20.7m.

First Impressions

Since arriving, the 22-year-old has been the number two keeper, making 17 appearances so far for the Blues, most of which have come in cup competitions, conceding 18 goals in total and keeping six clean sheets.

However, in recent weeks, thanks to the poor form of Robert Sanchez, Jorgensen has been made Chelsea number one according to Enzo Maresca, which has seen him start the previous four Premier League fixtures against West Ham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Southampton.

Whilst Jorgensen did make a big mistake of his own against Villa, he has clearly done enough to earn the trust of Maresca for the time being, both on the ball and making important saves, which will allow the Italian to fully axe one of their worst performers this campaign.

Chelsea can now finally sell £60k-p/w flop

Since Sanchez joined Chelsea back in 2023 for a fee of around £25m, the 27-year-old has made 43 appearances for the Blues, conceding 59 goals in total and only keeping nine clean sheets, totalling 3,864 minutes played.

When the £60k-per-week flop was first signed, sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart were “excited” by his arrival:

That said, things haven’t turned out quite as planned….

Robert Sanchez vs Filip Jorgensen comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)	Sanchez	Jorgensen
Goals Against	1.38	1.07
Shots on Target Against	4.58	4.40
Saves	3.20	3.33
Save %	74.8%	77.3%
Clean Sheets	0.18	0.33
Passes Attempted	40.8	31.5
Pass Completion %	73.3%	83.6%
Crosses Stopped	1.38	0.33
Stats taken from FBref

When comparing both Sanchez and Jorgensen’s underlying numbers so far this season, the 22-year-old shot-stopper comes out on top, making more saves despite having fewer shots taken against him, conceding fewer goals and even having a higher pass completion.

Having the ability to play short-circuit passes around the back to attract the opposition press is very important to Maresca’s system, and the fact Jorgensen is doing it without making the same mistakes as Sanchez – or at least to a much lesser degree – is another positive sign for the Blues.

With Jorgensen now Chelsea’s number one, it is in his hands to make that position his own, keeping Sanchez out of the fray and finally allowing Maresca to settle on one goalkeeper, with Sanchez’s future potentially now lying elsewhere.

With the former Brighton man having made five errors leading to a goal in the Premier League in 2024/25 alone, Winstanley and Co’s initial excitement has undoubtedly disappeared.

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1

By
Ethan Lamb

Feb 26, 2025

Manchester United chiefs regret signing a £47m player, with patience behind the scenes at Old Trafford running out, according to a new report.

Man Utd already eyeing Amorim replacements

It hasn’t exactly been the start to life in Manchester that manager Ruben Amorim would have hoped for, with his side in the bottom half of the Premier League and out of both domestic cup competitions.

The club’s only chance of silverware is in the Europa League, with the Red Devils drawing the first leg of their last 16 tie at Real Sociedad on Thursday evening.

Talking after the draw in Spain, Amorim said: “I think we played well until the penalty. But then the penalty, I think, changed a little bit the momentum of the game. I felt the team were a little bit tired in the last 20 minutes and that also helped them take control of the game in the final 20 minutes. Until the penalty, we were in control, had the opportunities. After our goal, we were really good because we were near the second goal.”

Man Utd now eye move to replace Amorim with 4-3-3 World Cup-winning boss

It’s been a nightmare four months…

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 5, 2025

Whether or not Amorim will be the man to take United back to the top remains to be seen, as recent speculation has named numerous managers as potential replacements for Amorim at Man Utd.

Massimiliano Allegri, previously of Juventus, has emerged as a possible target for Man Utd, as has Unai Emery of Aston Villa. INEOS “could take drastic measures and accelerate the search for a replacement” if things don’t improve under Amorim, and the co-owners have regrets about one of their first signings at Old Trafford.

Man Utd regret signing Andre Onana for £47m

According to reports in Spain, Man Utd regret signing Andre Onana, describing his stay at Old Trafford as a ‘nightmare’.

The Cameroon international cost around £47m from Inter Milan back in 2023, and it’s safe to say his time in England hasn’t gone to plan, with the shot-stopper making numerous errors.

It is added that ‘patience at United is running thin’ and that ‘the lack of assurances in goal has led the club to reconsider its trust in Onana and to explore possible solutions for the next season’.

Moving on Onana won’t be straightforward, though, due to his current long-term deal and transfer fee. He was recently dubbed as “useless” by former defender Paul Parker, who also slammed the club’s decision to let David de Gea go.

“The problem is probably that the goalkeeper position won’t be a priority for a new signing, as there are so many other issues in other positions that need strengthening.

“I can’t help but think about why the club let David De Gea go. It was a really disgraceful way they parted with him after he was named Player of the Year three times in a row, and right now, it looks even more ridiculous because his replacement is so useless.”

Onana also reportedly wants to stay at Old Trafford, so the coming months will be extremely interesting in regards to United’s stance on the goalkeeper.

There could be a big summer on the horizon for Everton football club as David Moyes prepares for his first full transfer window in charge of the Toffees for the second time.

It is also the club’s first summer transfer window ahead of their move to the new stadium for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, in which they will want a successful debut at their expensive home.

This means that there could be some ruthless decisions that are made on players to be sold, and kept, as well as new signings coming in to bolster the squad.

Angus Kinnear is set to arrive from Leeds United to assume the role of CEO at Everton at the start of June, and he may instantly look at the wage bill to inform his decisions in the transfer market.

What Everton's wage bill will look like for Kinnear

The Leeds chief may look at how the club have been using the funds available to them this season and look to ruthlessly ditch the players who have not been value for money.

Iliman Ndiaye has been the poster boy for value for money this season with six goals in 22 Premier League starts, despite being on £45k-per-week at Goodison Park.

Abdoulaye Doucoure

£130k

Jordan Pickford

£125k

Idrissa Gueye

£120k

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

£100k

James Tarkowski

£100k

Jack Harrison

£90k

Michael Keane

£80k

Vitalii Mykolenko

£58k

Seamus Coleman

£55k

Beto

£50k

As you can see in the table above, Ndiaye is not even in the top ten earners at the club this season, whilst in-form centre-forward Beto only just makes the list.

The Portuguese striker has scored five goals in the Premier League since Moyes took the job in January, establishing himself as the go-to number nine for the Scotsman.

With this in mind, Kinnear could hit the ground running at Everton this summer by instantly ditching English striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Why Everton should sell Dominic Calvert-Lewin

As shown in the table, the former England international is one of the most highly-paid players at the club on £100k-per-week, but he has not done enough on the pitch to justify that expense.

Calvert-Lewin has been unreliable from a fitness perspective during his time at Everton, missing 78 competitive matches through injury since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

This means that managers have not been able to rely upon him during a season as he has had to deal with multiple injury absences that have prevented him from being consistent on the pitch.

24/25

22

6.11

3

23/24

32

12.93

7

22/23

17

5.84

2

Total

71

24.88

12

As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin has also been unreliable on the pitch with his lack of quality in front of goal, underperforming his xG by almost 15 goals since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

This, essentially, means that the former Sheffield United man has consistently failed to make the most of the high-quality opportunities that his teammates have created for him in recent years, costing his team points in the process.

Earlier this season, talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara described his finishing as “embarrassing” and claimed it is “why he’s not gone to a top side”, which is hard to argue with when you look at his performance against xG.

Beto and Ndiaye, despite earning less than Calvert-Lewin combined, have both outscored the £100k-per-week forward, who has managed three goals in the top-flight, this season.

The 28-year-old striker’s contract with Everton is due to expire this summer and Kinnear must ruthlessly ditch him by allowing it to run out without offering him an extension, due to his unreliability both on and off the pitch for the wages that he is on.

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ByAngus Sinclair Mar 19, 2025

تمكن نجم فريق الأهلي، وسام أبو علي، من تسجيل الهدف الثاني في المباراة الجارية حاليًا ضد نظيره بورتو، في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية.

ويلتقي الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور مجموعات كأس العالم للأندية، لحساب المجموعة الأولى.

وتحصل الأهلي على ضربة جزاء، في الدقيقة الثانية من الوقت المحتسب بدلَا من الضائع، بعدما تعرض أحمد سيد زيزو للعرقلة داخل المنطقة.

ونفذ وسام أبو علي ضربة جزاء الأهلي بنجاح، ليحولها إلى هدف ثاني له وللفريق المصري. هدف وسام أبو علي الثاني أمام بورتو في كأس العالم للأندية

وتشير النتيجة في الوقت الحالي إلى تقدم الأهلي بهدفين لهدف، في حين أن إنتر ميامي يتقدم على بالميراس بهدف دون رد في المباراة الأخرى من المجموعة.

Tottenham Hotspur have made their first move to sign a Belgium international defender at the top of his game, according to a new report.

Ange prepares for Alkmaar while Spurs chiefs eye summer moves

Ange Postecoglou’s side haven’t had a season to remember so far, with Spurs currently in the bottom half of the Premier League. The only way the season can be deemed somewhat of a success is if they end their long wait for a trophy by lifting the Europa League.

Tottenham have it all to do against AZ Alkmaar, though, as they trail 1-0 after a Lucas Bergvall own-goal in the Netherlands ensured Postecoglou’s side have it all to do in the second leg as they look to book a spot in the quarter-finals.

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Bergvall did help Tottenham fight back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth days after his own goal against AZ Alkmaar, though, which resulted in praise from Postecoglou.

“Lucas was great. He has been great but he has played a lot and we’ve just got to be mindful of that. He’s becoming an important part of our team. I thought he made a real big impact when he came on.

“Like I said we were sloppy when we were on the ball in the first half and he’s one who takes a bit more care with it. He’s a technician and he carries the ball really well. I thought he and Sonny (Heung-min Son) made a really good impact when they came on.”

Away from the pitch, and Spurs chiefs are seemingly preparing for the summer transfer window, with strong rumours to a number of targets.

Tottenham are once again ready to open talks to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, whereas Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen is also on Spurs’ radar amid a £55m release clause in his Cherries contract.

Defensive reinforcements are clearly on Postecoglou and Tottenham’s to-do list, and a new name ah now emerged.

Spurs make approach to sign £25m defender Koni de Winter

According to reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham have made contact with Genoa over a potential move for defender Koni de Winter.

Tottenham have ‘asked for information on the 22-year-old, as have top-flight rivals Man Utd and West Ham. Napoli and Roma are also keen on De Winter, who is expected to cost €30m (£25m) as Genoa look to make a profit on the Belgium international.

Tottenham have a history of signing Belgian defenders in Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, so De Winter could be the next to move to north London.

Primarily a centre-back, De Winter would offer plenty of versatility as he’s also capable of turning out as a right-back or as a holding midfielder.

De Winter’s stats for Genoa

Appearances

48

Goals

3

Assists

1

Yellow cards

12

Red cards

1

Minutes played

3,969

He is at the top of his game with a career-high €12m Transfermarkt valuation, a figure which stood at just €2.2m three years ago.

De Winter came through in Juventus’ academy and made his loan move to Genoa permanent last summer, but by the looks of things, he could be on the move again 12 months on, potentially to England with Spurs.

Details about the specific offence for which he was arrested are unclear but they relate to Al Qadir University

Danyal Rasool09-May-2023

Security personnel escort a car carrying Imran Khan as he arrives at the high court in Islamabad on Tuesday•AFP/Getty Images

Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister, has been arrested in Islamabad. He was scheduled to appear at the Islamabad High Court to apply for bail in a number of cases that had required his presence, though local media reported that he has not been arrested for a charge for which he was appearing in court on Tuesday.The arrest warrant, seen by ESPNcricinfo states that Imran has been “accused of commission of the offense of corruption and corrupt practices” under a section of the National Accountability Ordinance.At approximately 2:15pm local time, Imran was arrested by, according to local media, the Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary federal law enforcement corps in Pakistan. He was handed over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for further investigation. Section 144, a colonial-era law that prohibits large gatherings, has also been imposed in Pakistan’s capital.Islamabad Police released a statement from their Inspector General on Twitter saying Imran had been arrested in the Al Qadir University case, an institution he founded as prime minister in 2019 and where he remains chairman. The allegations centre around the alleged involvement of the former prime minister and his wife in the university being donated the land it stands on by the influential Pakistani businessman and real estate giant Malik Riaz. The UK’s National Crime Agency seized assets worth £190m from Riaz in December 2019 and returned them to Pakistan and it is alleged links between the land allotted for the university and what the Pakistan government did with those funds that is unclear but has been the subject of a government investigative committee.Related

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The current federal government in Pakistan, which replaced Imran’s government in April 2022 after a vote of no confidence, has often called for his arrest, as have several courts over the past year. There were two separate concerted attempts to arrest him from his residence in March, where police were thwarted by huge numbers of supporters gathered outside his residence to help him resist arrest. Several senior figures of Imran’s PTI party (Pakistan’s Movement for Justice) have been arrested over the last year, on charges the party says are spurious. They have all been subsequently released.Pakistan’s Supreme Court had ordered elections in Punjab, the country’s largest province, to be held on May 14, a few weeks after the constitutional mandate for the caretaker government, set up in the province in January, expired. The ruling party had rejected calls for those elections to be held in defiance of that order.Several polls have shown Imran holding a clear lead as the most popular politician in the country, and he has accused the government of thwarting Pakistani citizens’ democratic rights by refusing to hold elections.”The government and its backers are petrified of elections because so far in the last eight months, out of the 37 by elections, my party has won 30 out of them,” Imran told in March.”They want to either arrest or disqualify me because they are scared [of the fact] that my party is one of the most popular in Pakistan’s history,” he said then, as attempts to arrest him from his residence in Lahore were underway.The development escalates an already unstable political climate in the country. Last November, Imran suffered bullet wounds to his leg after an assassination attempt while he was leading a protest march in Wazirabad in Punjab.