Today’s top Pakistan current affairs August 31,2020 with download link available in pdf. These are the latest breaking news about Pakistan which will be helpful for aspirants in test preparation of current affairs, Pakistan affairs, General knowledge for NTS, PPSC, CSS, FPSC, KPPSC, SPSC, BPSC, AJKPSC, OTS, PTS, and other Govt Jobs, exams & MDCAT, ECAT Entry test preparation.
One Liner
- Pakistan strongly condemns desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden, Norway
- Punjab Police Receives Up to 120% Increase in Salaries. The Punjab government has announced massive raises for police officers to bring their salaries equal to those of Pakistan Administrative Services Group (PAS) officers.
- OGRA increases LPG price. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Saturday increased the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) by Rs1.5 per kilogram to Rs117 for the month of September, ARY News reported.
- First-Ever Flight: Plane With US, Israeli Officials Lands in UAE
- Petrol Prices in Pakistan To Remain Unchanged for September. The prices of petroleum products will remain unchanged for the month of September as Prime Minister Imran Khan has rejected a summary by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority seeking an increase in them.
- Lady Diana’s 23rd Death Anniversary Being Observed Today
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flash floods: 16 people killed, 40 houses destroyed
- 3 soldiers martyred in S Waziristan operation: ISPR. Three soldiers were martyred after militants opened fire at Pakistan Army troops during a search operation in South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.
- Gold price rises Rs700 per tola. The price of 24-karat gold increased by Rs700 on Monday and was traded at Rs117,400, as against its previous closing at Rs116,700.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 213 new cases and 6 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 21,434 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on August 30 at 9:40am).
2. Signs of tension between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
What’s going on? There is reportedly “simmering tension” between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, two countries that are ordinarily on good terms, with a history of economic, political, and military ties.
The details: On August 4, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said Saudi Arabia should “show leadership” on the Kashmir issue. In other words, Pakistan doesn’t think Saudi Arabia is taking a strong enough stance against India. It’s also important to note that India is one of Saudi Arabia’s main trading partners.
Tell me more: During a televised interview, Qureshi said Pakistan expects the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to hold a special meeting on Kashmir, otherwise, Pakistan would organize its own meeting with Islamic countries (e.g. Malaysia, Turkey, and Iran) that are concerned about Kashmir and ready to stand with Pakistan. Even though Qureshi didn’t spell this out, it sounds like Pakistan might create a new bloc that could rival the Saudi-led OIC.
The context: Qureshi brought up the Kashmir issue a day before the one-year anniversary of India’s decision to abruptly revoke India-controlled Kashmir’s statehood and semi-autonomy. Pakistan and India both claim the divided Kashmir territory in full, but only control parts of it.
Looking ahead: Saudi Arabia said ‘oh really?’ and recalled a $1 billion loan, which was part of a $3 billion loan package it extended to Pakistan in November 2018. Ouch. Saudi Arabia also refused to renew a $3.2 billion oil credit facility, which expired in May this year. Double ouch. Pakistan’s Army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, went to Saudi Arabia to do some damage control, but Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), didn’t meet him, even though they have met during Bajwa’s previous visits. Triple ouch.
The bottom line: What we have here is a diplomatic spat between two long-time allies. Now that the tiff with Saudi Arabia is putting pressure on Pakistan’s weak finances, Pakistan will likely lean on its other ally, China, even more. In fact, China already swooped in to loan Pakistan $1 billion after Saudi Arabia pulled back its loan.
3. Attack on Muharram procession in Kashmir
Pakistan observed Youm-e-Ashura (i.e. the 10th of Muharram). Processions took place nationwide with strict security measures and health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. During Muharram, Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). At the same time, Pakistan condemned the use of tear gas and pellet guns on a Muharram procession in India-controlled Kashmir. Indian security forces in the Muslim-majority region reportedly fired shotgun pellets and tear gas to disperse hundreds of mainly Shia Muslims participating in a Muharram procession. At least 40 people were injured. Indian police claimed that the mourners were violating COVID-19 safety orders that restricted religious processions.
4. Parts of Karachi still under water
On Sunday, four days after record-breaking monsoon rain swept through Karachi, several areas of the city were still submerged in water and without power. The rainfall damaged infrastructure. At least 19 people were also killed in rain related incidents.
- Flooding: Areas such as Defence, Clifton, Orangi, Surjani Town, Naya Nazimabad and the old city were still inundated with water.
- Power outages: K-Electric (i.e. power utility) only restored power in some areas since water was still accumulated around substations and inside residential buildings (i.e. this is a safety hazard).
- Protests: On Friday, residents came out on the streets to protest against K-Electric for delays in restoring power in several parts of the city, even after 40 hours. Residents are planning a protest against the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) and Defence Housing Authority (DHA) management on Monday to demand proper drainage systems, accountability, and a review of the CBC’s tax collection.
MARKET RECAP
The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 41,056.22 after dropping 25.72 points (-0.06%) as of August 28, 2020.
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