Today’s top Pakistan current affairs February 02, 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
- Pakistan starts Covid vaccination drive today. Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch Pakistan’s anti-Covid vaccination drive that see health workers at the forefront of the country’s fight against the pandemic getting the jab in the first phase.
- PM Imran sets condition for accepting opposition’s demand of his resignation. Prime Minister Imran Khan has offered the country’s opposition a condition for his resignation saying that he would resign from his post if they agree to return the looted money
- Pakistan summons senior Indian diplomat over ceasefire violation at LoC. A senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on February 02, resulting in serious injuries to four civilians including three women
- FIA arrests another pilot in fake licence scandal. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested the second pilot from Islamabad in fake pilots’ licence scandal
- Pakistan, India must resolve Kashmir dispute in a peaceful manner: COAS Bajwa. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Tuesday that Pakistan and India must resolve the longstanding issue of Kashmir in a peaceful manner, said Inter-Services Public Relations in a statement.
- OGDCL discovers gas, condensate reserves in Hyderabad. In a major development, the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has announced the discovery of gas and condensate reserves in district Hyderabad of Sindh province
- Punjab allows 15 years relaxation in age limit for govt jobs. The Punjab government on Tuesday approved the relaxation of up to 15 years in the upper age limit for government jobs in the province
- Govt orders removal of Iqbal’s botched sculpture after social media reaction. The Punjab government on Tuesday ordered the immediate removal of a recent sculpture of the ‘poet of the east’ Allama Iqbal after social media reaction over its botched artistic work.
- Sindh prepares ‘strategy, model paper’ for matric, inter exams. The Sindh Education Department has finalised the strategy and a model paper for conducting examinations of matriculation and intermediate students
- CTD arrests most wanted terrorist in Karachi. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and a sensitive institution have arrested a most wanted terrorist named in ‘Red Book’ during a joint raid in Karachi
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 1,220 new cases and 63 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 38,813 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on February 2 at 7:27am).
2. Summing up internet regulation in 2020
What’s going on? In its 2020 report, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) states that Pakistan’s digital economy grew exponentially during the pandemic. More than 90 million people in Pakistan reportedly used the internet last year. At the same time, the govt made a persistent effort to “regulate” the online experience of internet users.
The details: In 2019-2020, the PTA blocked 27,986 items online – 8,161 over hate speech, 6,910 for religious reasons or “the glory of Islam,” 5,237 over decency/morality concerns, and 5,053 for “the defence of Pakistan.” The PTA also tried to crack down on pornography, and blocked a list of 2,384 websites. Fun fact (or not so fun fact): According to data from Google, Pakistan topped the list of most porn-searching countries in 2015.
Tell me more: The PTA noticed a trend of unlawful content being accessed through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Simply put, VPNs are the PTA’s worst nightmare. VPNs disguise your IP address when you’re using the internet. If you use a VPN to connect to the internet, you can browse websites privately, side-step censorship blocks, and gain access to restricted websites. In Pakistan, the registration of VPNs is reportedly mandatory.
Don’t forget social media: How could we forget? PTA approached international social media platforms (e.g. YouTube, Bigo, TikTok) and ordered them to block “obscene content” or content that conveyed “hate speech.” The PTA said it continuously engaged with social media companies operating outside of Pakistan to keep them up to date on local sensitivities (e.g. religious norms, values), and make sure they follow local laws.
Any other “regulation” work? The PTA said it’s working on cyber security initiatives to improve the security of Pakistan’s telecom sector.
The bottom line: A lot of “regulating” involved restricting access to certain types of content.
3. Christian nurse charged over unproven blasphemy allegations
We covered this story yesterday and wrote, “it’s unclear if she’s out of the woods yet.” It turns out, she’s definitely not. A 30-year-old Christian nurse at a hospital in Karachi was accused of committing blasphemy. The police took the nurse into custody, didn’t find any credible evidence that she committed blasphemy, and let her go. However, a mob of hundreds of Muslims gathered outside the local police station and forced the police to file a blasphemy case against her. Police are still investigating the allegations. The nurse has reportedly gone into hiding. According to international human rights groups, people in Pakistan often use blasphemy allegations to settle personal feuds or quarrels.
- Backstory: The head nurse at the hospital said medical staff can’t receive tips or deal with money from patients. The accused Christian nurse saw her Muslim coworker collect money from a patient and reminded this coworker about the head nurse’s orders. Then, the Muslim coworker reportedly flung blasphemy accusations at the Christian nurse. What started as a workplace dispute turned into a violent assault on the Christian nurse. Some hospital staff members beat the Christian nurse, tied her up with a rope, and locked her in a room – she has worked at this hospital for nine years.
4. The first province with universal health coverage
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan congratulated the KPK govt for providing universal health coverage to all of its residents under the Sehat Sahulat Program (i.e. a health insurance scheme). The health insurance program first launched in KPK six years ago, and extended throughout the province in phases. Under the #KPSehatCardPlus scheme, around 40 million residents in KPK will get health insurance coverage. All KPK residents will have access to free health facilities for up to PKR 1 million per family each year, in over 400 hospitals – public and private. KPK is reportedly the first province in Pakistan to provide universal health coverage. PM Khan wants to roll out the KPK model in other provinces as well.
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