Today’s top Pakistan current affairs September 04,2020 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
- Govt Decides to Sell Majority Shares in Pakistan Steel Mills. The board of the Privatization Commission (PC) has approved the transaction structure for the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills.
- PM Imran refuses to accept Bajwa’s resignation as SAPM. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday declined to accept the resignation of his special assistant on information and broadcasting Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa.
- Six injured, one dead as bank roof collapses. At least one was killed, with six others injured, after the collapse of a bank roof in Lahore’s Chauburji area.
- PIA all set for IATA operational safety audit. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has all set for the operational safety audit (IOSA) to be carried out on Monday by a designated team of International Air Transport Association (IATA)
- Federal govt ends winter vacations for schools. In an effort to overcome the educational loss of students due to COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government on Friday decided to end winter vacations for educational institutions this year
- PIA Reduces Fares For Domestic Flights. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced a reduction in fares for its flights from Karachi to Islamabad and Lahore. The motive behind the reduction in fares is to attract domestic travelers to travel via the national flag carrier.
- Iqbal Qasim Resigns as Head of PCB’s Cricket Committee
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 498 new cases and 7 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 21,744 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on September 4 at 8:22am).
2. SAPM on Information resigns
What’s going on? The SAPM on Information, retired General Asim Bajwa, is about to update his resume. Yesterday, he said he will resign from his SAPM on Information position. However, he will still serve as Chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority. He will present his resignation to PM Imran Khan today.
The details: Bajwa made his announcement after issuing a rebuttal against a recent investigative report by journalist Ahmad Noorani. Noorani made claims about the Bajwa family’s business interests abroad (i.e. offshore properties and businesses). In his response, Bajwa called the allegations “baseless” and said he has enough paperwork to support his money trail.
The context: We summarized the investigative report in a previous newsletter. Very long story short, Noorani claimed that the Bajwa family owns a massive business empire, which includes 99 companies in four countries, and a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants. According to Noorani, Bajwa said he and his wife don’t have immovable property or business capital outside of Pakistan. However, Noorani pointed to official documents, which reportedly show Bajwa’s wife as an equal shareholder in the businesses of Bajco Group, along with Bajwa’s five brothers.
The bottom line: Bajwa reportedly decided to quit after talking to his family. He also wants to put all his energy into the multi-billion dollar CPEC project.
3. Destructive rain in KP
We have been reading a lot of news about monsoon rain wreaking havoc in Pakistan’s financial capital, Karachi. As of yesterday, at least 23 people have died. Since last week, residents have been dealing with power cuts, mobile network outages, and shortages of both fuel and cash. However, another province in Pakistan is also getting battered with rain. At least 23 people were killed, and many others were injured, following heavy rains in KP. Most of the casualties were reported in the upper parts of Hazara division, where there were flash floods. Heavy landslides blocked traffic on the Karakoram Highway and many key roads. Torrential rain also damaged electricity and communications infrastructure.
4. Fire at Karachi oil terminal
As if Karachi needed more problems right now. There was reportedly a massive fire at an oil terminal in Karachi’s Keamari locality.
- Were there casualties? Yes. The fire killed two workers. There are mixed accounts of how many people were injured. Dawn is saying three, The Express Tribune is saying six, and Geo is saying four.
- Did the fire impact petroleum supply? Yes. The fire disrupted petroleum supply across the country, since the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) advised tanker owners, drivers and cleaners to stay away from the oil depot for their safety. APOTOA Senior Vice-Chairman, Mir Shams Shahwani, suspended the supply of oil from the terminal.
- Where did the fire start? The fire started in the Shell Oil Depot at Keamari Terminal-1. According to a spokesperson for Shell Pakistan Limited, a PSO import line passing inside Shell Pakistan’s Terminal-1 at Keamari caught fire.
- How long did it take to put out the fire? Authorities reportedly acted quickly. It took the fire brigade four hours to control the blaze. The Pakistan Navy also helped extinguish the fire. Rangers and paramilitary personnel supported rescue efforts.
- What caused the fire? It’s still not clear what exactly caused the fire.
5. PM orders release of sick or older women prisoners
In a landmark decision, PM Khan ordered authorities to release all women prisoners who have a physical or mental illness, and who are 55+ years old. PM Khan also announced that all juvenile prisoners will be released. A Pakistani court reportedly ordered these releases months ago. PM Khan also requested a report on foreign women in Pakistani prisons, including the ones on death row, in order to consider their release on humanitarian grounds.
- Backstory: Out of 73,242 prisoners incarcerated in jails across Pakistan, around 1,121 are women, which makes them 1.5% of the total prison population. These women are either on trial, or have been convicted of a crime. Women in Pakistan’s prisons are often neglected. Some of them are still waiting for a trial, and others are facing the death penalty. Women prisoners are reportedly subjected to coercion, harassment and torture. Many have shown signs of depression, stress, sleep disorder, and general anxiety. In most cases, children who have nowhere else to go live with their mothers in prison. Due to a lack of proper resources in prisons, authorities have also failed to address women’s sanitary and menstruation needs.
Read More: [Quiz] GK & Pakistan Current Affairs Quiz 02 September 2020
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