Today’s top Pakistan current affairs January 21, 2021 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
- Kamala Harris sworn in as America’s first woman vice president. Former California Senator Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president of the United States on Wednesday, the first woman ever to hold the post.
- 69 doctors lost their battle against COVID-19 in Pakistan. As many as 69 doctors have so far lost their battle against COVID-19 in the country, highlighting the dangers posed to the frontline workers while dealing with the pandemic
- ECC approves tax reduction on sugar import. In a bid to bring down prices of sugar in the country, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Wednesday approved a reduction of withholding income tax on commercial import of white and raw sugar form 5.5 percent to 0.25 percent and removal of value-added sales tax on import of white sugar
- China to gift 0.5mn doses of Sinopharm vaccine to Pakistan by Jan 31: FM Qureshi. China will provide 500,000 doses of its Sinovac coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan by January 31, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, thanking “friend” Beijing for its generosity.
- Govt Increases Electricity Charges By Rs 1.95. Planning Minister Asad Umar says economic indicators are showing significant improvement, especially the large scale manufacturing witnessed an overall surge of 15 percent in last November.
- The University of Peshawar cancels all physical exams. The students of the University of Peshawar were elated after the varsity canceled all of its on-campus exams for the Fall semester.
- Multan students block the road while protesting against in-person exams. Students of Multan’s NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology have blocked Khanewal Road while protesting against the university’s decision to hold in-person examinations.
- Punjab University Finally Agrees to Conduct Online Exams. Punjab University (PU) has granted permission to students to appear in online examinations instead of on-campus examinations amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
- Passenger With Fake COVID-19 Report Caught at Peshawar Airport. A passenger was briefly detained at the Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar for attempting to board a flight by producing a fake negative COVID-19 test report.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 2,363 new cases and 54 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 43,744 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on January 21 at 8:00am).
2. PM Khan congratulates the new US president
What’s going on? Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the US. Kamala Harris was sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the US. Harris made history as the nation’s first woman, first black, and first South Asian Vice President (P.S. she is the daughter of late Shyamala Gopalan, who was Indian-American, and Donald Harris, who is Jamaican-American). The ceremony took place at Capitol Hill, two weeks after pro-Trump rioters breached the building to block the certification of Biden’s election victory. The in-person audience was limited due to COVID-19, and strict security measures were in place. Former Vice President Mike Pence attended the inauguration, but departing former President Donald Trump was a no-show.
Tell me more: PM Khan wrote a congratulatory tweet to Biden a few minutes after he took the oath of office.
Looking ahead: On his first day as president, Biden signed 17 executive actions, including an order that will freeze the Trump administration’s travel ban. The travel ban barred entry for refugees and residents of seven Muslim-majority countries (not including Pakistan). A final revision of the travel ban included some non-Muslim countries as well. The Trump administration cited national security concerns to justify the travel ban, even though US citizens and permanent residents reportedly carried out a large majority of terrorist attacks in the country since September 11, 2001.
What about US-Pak relations? During his confirmation hearing as secretary of defense, retired four-star Army General, Lloyd Austin, acknowledged Pakistan’s role in supporting the Afghan peace process. Long story short, he wants to continue building relationships with Pakistan’s military, and work with Pakistan on improving regional stability. This hope for regional stability involves cracking down on militant organizations. Austin said he would urge Pakistan to make sure militant groups don’t use its territory as a safe haven.
Something to know: Austin is the former head of US Central Command, the military’s top command post that oversees US military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. He is Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon. If confirmed, Austin will be the first Black secretary of defense. However, there is a law that says officers have to be out of uniform for at least seven years before serving as Pentagon chief (P.S this law is meant to ensure civilian control over the military). Austin doesn’t meet that requirement, since he left the service in 2016. That’s why both the Senate and House have to approve a waiver before Austin can take the job.
The bottom line: Based on Austin’s statement, it sounds like US-Pak relations will primarily focus on security – for now. The US will also keep an eye on Pakistan’s efforts to shut down militant activity. At the same time, Pakistan wants to work with the US in several areas outside of security (e.g. trade, economy, climate change, public health).
3. Former military general becomes Saudi envoy
Pakistan appointed recently retired Army General, Bilal Akbar, as its ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He’s replacing career diplomat Raja Ali Ejaz. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia haven’t been on the best terms lately, and Pakistan is trying to rebuild ties with its Gulf ally. This isn’t the first time a former military officer has served as head of Pakistan’s high commission in Riyadh. Akbar’s appointment suggests the army wants to take the lead in rescuing bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia.
- Backstory: Very long story short, Pakistan wanted the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation to help more with the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan and India claim Kashmir in full, but only control parts of it. Pakistan repeatedly accuses India’s govt of oppressing Kashmiris in India-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said to Saudi Arabia, ‘if you can’t do more, i’ll ask PM Khan to organize a meeting with Islamic countries that are ready to step up.’ Saudi Arabia didn’t appreciate this ultimatum, and asked Pakistan to repay $3 billion in loans.
