[Current Affairs] October 14,2020 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for FPSC Test Preparation

What’s going on? The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Security, Moeed Yusuf, did an interview with Karan Thapar from Indian news site, The Wire. This was reportedly Yusuf’s first interview with an Indian media outlet. This is also a Pakistani official’s first interview with Indian media since August 2019.

The details: On August 5, 2019, India’s Hindu nationalist govt revoked Article 370, a part of the constitution that gave India-controlled Kashmir (i.e. Jammu and Kashmir) some measure of autonomy within India. The removal of Article 370 struck a nerve with Pakistan, because Kashmir is disputed territory. Pakistan and India both claim Kashmir in full, but only control parts of it. Pakistan also raised concerns about the fate of Muslims in the region.

Here’s a breakdown of the 75-minute interview, you’re welcome:

• Kashmir: Thapar and Yusuf obviously sparred over Kashmir, and the removal of Article 370. Thapar argued that India’s constitutional changes in Jammu and Kashmir are strictly an internal Indian matter, and no concern to Pakistan. In response, Yusuf said the world is calling India out, and that Kashmiris don’t want to be Indian. In return, Thapar accused Pakistan of demographically engineering Pakistan-controlled Kashmir by bringing in Punjabi settlers for decades. Yusuf said Pakistan is all for Kashmir’s right to self-determination. Thapar asked if Pakistan is ready for Kashmir to be completely independent. Dr. Yusuf said ‘we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.’

• Gilgit Baltistan (GB): Thapar said, ‘err pot calling the kettle black?’ Thapar suggested that Pakistan is annexing GB. GB is a portion of Kashmir that is also an administrative territory of Pakistan. However, India claims that GB is a part of Indian territory. Now, Pakistan is looking to make GB a full-fledged province, and India is thinking ‘seriously?’ However, Yusuf said nothing is confirmed yet. He also claimed that people in GB want to be fully integrated into Pakistan.

• Uighurs in China: Thapar asked why PM Khan is ignoring the alleged mistreatment of Muslim Uighurs in China, while lashing out at India for allegedly committing a genocide against Muslims in Kashmir. In response, Yusuf said China and Pakistan are friends, and have a transparent relationship. He also claimed that Uighurs are a “non-issue” and that “we know everything we need to know about Uighurs,” even though PM Khan said he doesn’t know enough about the Uighur issue in a previous interview. When Thapar brought up that interview, Yusuf said PM Khan has been fully briefed now.

• Kulbhushan Jadhav: Former Indian Naval Commander, Jadhav, was convicted of espionage by a Pakistani military court. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Pakistan to halt Jadhav’s execution, grant India consular access, and review Jadhav’s death penalty. However, Jadhav is still in Pakistan’s custody. Thapar asked why Jadhav isn’t getting unimpeded consular access? In response, Yusuf said Jadhav had unimpeded consular access twice. Thapar thinks this heavily monitored consular access was bogus. India’s govt also wants an Indian lawyer to represent Jadhav, which Yusuf said isn’t doable under Pakistani law. Thapar suggested that having a Pakistani lawyer represent Jadhav is practically a death sentence.

• The ‘sponsored terrorism’ blame game: According to Thapar, there are concerns about Pakistan’s govt not taking action against Pakistani citizens involved in terror operations in India. Yusuf said, ‘I’m ready to change this one-sided story,’ and alleged that Indian Embassy funds were used to affect a merger between the Pakistani Taliban and four other organizations. Yusuf proceeded to give examples of how India was allegedly behind terrorist activity in Pakistan. Thapar and Yusuf didn’t see eye-to-eye here. Thapar kept saying ‘stop deflecting.’ Yusuf kept saying, ‘man, let me answer.’

• Conclusion: At the end of the interview, Yusuf claimed that, in the past year, Pakistan has gotten messages about a desire for conversation. Thapar’s ears perked up at this remark. He really wanted to know who exactly conveyed this message to Pakistan, and how Pakistan got the message, but Yusuf didn’t specify.

The bottom line: The point of the interview was to figure out how Pakistan and India can move forward. At the same time, Thapar and Yusuf debated over several key issues between both countries.

• Backstory: The Roosevelt Hotel has been around since 1924. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) leased the hotel in 1979 through its investment arm, PIA Investments Ltd, with an option to buy the building after 20 years. In 1999, PIA bought the hotel for $36.5 million. The hotel was reportedly doing alright until 2018. However, COVID-19 hit the tourism and hotel industry pretty hard, including the Roosevelt Hotel. Plus, the hotel’s infrastructure and rooms haven’t been in good shape.

4. 60-year-old stuntman allegedly marries minor girl

A well-known Pakistani stuntman named Sultan Muhammad Golden is facing some legal trouble in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He allegedly married a 12-year-old girl named Samreen Sahar. Sahar’s father, Azizur Rehman, claims she is above 18, even though her school records show otherwise. According to media reports, Rehman hid Sahar’s school certificate and vaccination card, and got a questionable birth certificate from the Sheshi Koh Village Council, which showed she is 18+. Rehman used that dodgy birth certificate to get Sahar a national identity card. The district administration in KP’s Chitral area intervened, which resulted in a revised birth certificate, and a canceled marriage contract.