Today’s top Pakistan current affairs September 17,2020 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
- PM Imran gives nod to set up markets along borders with Afghanistan, Iran
- Indian Forces Martyrs Four Kashmiris. In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred four Kashmiris including a 45-year-old woman in Srinagar city, today.
- LHC Bans Use of Plastic Bags Across Punjab. The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday imposing a ban on the use of polythene bags has called a report from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
- Motorway Rape Incident: Main Accused Second Wife Reveals Important Information. Bushra bibi, the second wife of the main accused of the motorway rape case Abid has revealed important information regarding his husband.
- 22 educational institutions sealed over neglecting coronavirus SOPs: NCOC
- Bahawalpur girl commits suicide after being raped by landlord. A girl committed suicide a day after being raped by a landlord in Bahawalpur district of Punjab province.
- Pakisan Maritime Security arrests 56 Indian fisherman. Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) on Thursday captured at least ten Indian boats and arrested 56 fishermen over violating and entering Pakistani territorial waters
- Gold Price Goes Down by Rs800. The price of 24 karat gold decreased by Rs800 on Thursday and was traded at Rs114,200 against its price at Rs 115,000.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 545 new cases and 6 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 31,808 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on September 17 at 8:18am).
2. Govt passes three FATF-bills during joint session of parliament
What’s going on? After a lot of back-and-forth with the opposition, the govt managed to pass three FATF related bills during a joint session of parliament amid protests from opposition members. A joint session is when members of the Senate and National Assembly (NA) come together in the house chamber. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) govt also introduced the Criminal Law Act (amendment) Bill, which suggests a penalty for people who “malign” the armed forces and their personnel. As for protests against the FATF bills, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan accused opposition members of trying to “protect their corrupt money” and “defang the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).”
The details:
- FATF legislation, Anti-money Laundering (2nd amendment) Bill: This has something to do with restraining money-laundering. The bill proposes diligent record-keeping requirements that apparently meet FATF standards. The anti-money laundering legislation got a lot of push-back from opposition parties, since NAB is a designated investigative authority. Critics claim that the bill allows arrests without warrants as well. The opposition thinks the federal govt will use NAB as a tool for political victimization. The opposition actually walked out while a PTI national assembly member read out proposed amendments to the bill. The opposition-controlled Senate rejected this bill last month after the NA passed it.
- FATF legislation, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Waqf Properties Bill: Aims to streamline the management, supervision and administration of Waqf properties. Any movable or immovable property donated for religious or charitable purposes is considered a Waqf property. The bill would put all Waqf properties (e.g. mosques, shrines, khanqahs, and dargahs), along with donations to these properties, under govt control. The opposition-controlled Senate rejected this bill last month after the NA passed it.
- FATF legislation, Anti-Terrorism Act (amendment) Bill: An investigating officer, with the court’s permission, can conduct covert operations to detect terrorism funding and track communications by using the latest technology. The opposition-dominated Senate rejected this bill earlier in the day after the NA passed it.
- Criminal Law Act (amendment) Bill: Includes a two-year prison sentence, or a PKR 500,000 fine, or both.
The bottom line: PM Khan believes the passed legislation will help remove Pakistan from the FATF’s grey list, (i.e. a list of countries that are under increased monitoring, and working with the FATF to counter money laundering and terrorist financing).
3. A sex offender database
The federal govt is planning to establish a national database of sex offenders in order to reduce the number of rape and sexual assault incidents. This is something various countries already use to keep track of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences. PTI Senator, Faisal Javed Khan, also said the govt will introduce new legislation to severely punish predators and sexual abusers. The senator made this statement after PM Khan proposed public hangings and surgical/chemical castration for rapists. However, activists and legal experts are reportedly pushing back. They think authorities should focus more on improving systemic flaws and strengthening the criminal justice system to increase conviction rates. The conviction rate in rape cases reportedly stands at 4%.
- Backstory: Rape is already a serious criminal offense in Pakistan. The punishment ranges from a minimum of 10 years in prison to death. Activists and legal experts are arguing that severe punishments that currently exist haven’t deterred rape crimes. In their opinion, the problem is the conviction rate. Perpetrators reportedly know there is a slim chance they’ll be convicted.
4. A committee to investigate enforced disappearances
The federal govt is forming a committee to investigate the rising number of enforced disappearances in the country. Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Barrister Farogh Naseem, will convene the committee. Members include the Minister for Human Rights, the Advisor to the PM on Accountability, Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner, Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate General, and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Directorate General. According to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) has failed to hold perpetrators of enforced disappearances responsible. Even though COIED has managed to trace missing people in a number of cases, there is reportedly a lack of accountability.
- Backstory: The ICJ is a group of judges and lawyers from around the world who work to protect human rights by strengthening national and international justice systems. According to the ICJ, “hundreds, if not thousands” of people continue to be missing in Pakistan.
MARKET RECAP
The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 42,282.28 after dropping -0.15% as of September 16, 2020.
Read More: [Quiz] GK & Pakistan Current Affairs Quiz 16 September 2020
