Today’s top Pakistan current affairs December 16,2020 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
- UHS Lahore completes Covid vaccine clinical trials of 3000 volunteers. The University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Wednesday held a ceremony over completion of clinical trials of a Chinese vaccine at the institution
- Pakistan expresses concern over US sanctions on Turkey. Pakistan on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the imposition of sanctions on Turkey by the United States
- PM Imran directs to extend Kamyab Jawan Program to tribal districts. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to extend the ‘Kamyab Jawan Program’ to the tribal districts
- Four Dolphin Force personnel booked for killing Lahore man. A murder case has been registered against four personnel of the Dolphin Force for killing a man in Lahore on Tuesday
- ‘MDCAT result withdrawn over attendance issues to be posted soon’. The Pakistan Medical Commission withdrew on Wednesday the MDCAT result that was released online late Tuesday. The decision was taken after students across the country complained of unfair marking and discrepancies in roll numbers and attendance.
- Islamabad may face fuel shortage as tanker drivers stage strike. Oil tanker drivers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have staged a strike and asked the administration to increase their operating hours.
- APS Peshawar Tragedy Shocked, Grieved Nation: PM Khan. The sixth anniversary of the tragic incident of terrorist attack on Army Public School Peshawar was observed on Wednesday.
- Canada Improves Travel Advisory for Pakistan. The Canadian government has improved overall travel advisory for most parts of Pakistan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood has confirmed.
- Gold prices rise by Rs750 per tola in domestic market. The per tola gold price on Wednesday witnessed an increase of Rs750 to Rs110,750 in the domestic market
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 2,362 new cases and 36 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 31,830 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on December 14 at 7:49am).
*Note: We couldn’t give a 24-hour count update for December 16 since https://covid.gov.pk
2. President signs anti-rape ordinance
What’s going on? President Arif Alvi signed a new anti-rape ordinance into law. The govt has to take the ordinance to parliament within 120 days. If or when parliament approves the ordinance, it will be permanently passed into law. In the meantime, the ordinance will still be valid for 120 days. The law’s key purpose is to speed up convictions and enforce tougher punishments.
The ordinance will also:
- Introduce a national sex offenders register.
- Punish repeat offenders with chemical castration. Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan proposed chemical castration as a punishment for rapists on several occasions. In a previous draft of the ordinance, it said convicts have to give their consent to be chemically castrated. However, that will actually be up to a judge. The time frame for chemical castration could range from six months to a lifetime.
- Protect the identity of survivors. Revealing their identity will be a punishable offense.
- Create special fast-track courts so trials of alleged rapists wrap up within four months. This expedited system is supposed to ensure legal cases involving sexual abuse against women and children don’t keep lingering. Usually, rape cases have the tendency to drag on for years because of flawed investigations. Deficiencies in existing laws also make it harder for rape survivors to come forward.
- Govt Anti-Rape Crisis Cells will accelerate the processing of legal cases. These special govt cells will also have the power to make sure medical examinations of rape survivors are conducted within six hours. A lack of medical evidence is often one of the reasons people in Pakistan are acquitted in rape cases.
- Police or govt officials who show negligence while investigating rape cases could face a three-year prison sentence.
Something to know: Rape is already a criminal offense in Pakistan, punishable by death or imprisonment.
Looking ahead: Rights activists generally welcomed the law, but are still calling for improved policing and prosecution. Pakistan’s notoriously low conviction rate for rape is around 3%. Sadia Bokhari from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said laws actually have to be implemented in order to deter rapists. Another lawyer named Hamid Khan said the castration punishment is cruel, unconstitutional and un-Islamic. Instead, Khan thinks the govt should strictly enforce existing laws against rape.
The bottom line: Even though the ordinance is trying to crack down on rape and sexual violence in Pakistan, some people are not 100% on board with the law.
3. Case registered against opposition leaders
The police in Lahore registered a case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and workers for organizing a public meeting/rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on Sunday. Security staff at Iqbal Park, where Minar-e-Pakistan is located, filed the complaint. Nearly 40 PML-N leaders, including party VP Maryam Nawaz, are listed in the case. Security staff members accused PML-N leaders and workers of violating the govt’s COVID-19 prevention measures. Rally organizers allegedly “manhandled” security guards and damaged property as well. The Lahore police are also going after people who facilitated the rally by providing services like chairs.
- Backstory: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an opposition alliance made up of 11 political parties, held an anti-govt rally at Minar-e-Pakistan. They are accusing PM Khan of hurting the country, and want him to resign. Members of the opposition alliance are blaming PM Khan for issues like a weak economy, media censorship, and high inflation. They insist that a rigged election brought PM Khan into power. The Minar-e-Pakistan rally is part of a larger anti-govt campaign.
4. What we are remembering
On December 16, 2014, terrorists attacked the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar and killed 147 people, including 132 young students. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Today, six years later, that tragic day still haunts the country. Peshawar and other cities are observing the sixth anniversary of the APS attack. Events are being held to pay tribute to students, teachers and other staff members who were murdered. Never forget.
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