Today’s top Pakistan current affairs March 30, 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
- Imran Khan Completely Recovered From Coronavirus. PTI leader Senator Faisal Javed said Tuesday Prime Minister Imran Khan has “completely recovered” and has resumed official duties partially, 10 days after he tested positive for the infection.
- Pakistan desires peaceful relations with India, PM Khan tells Modi. Pakistan desires peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbouring countries, Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a letter to Indian premier Narendra Modi.
- Petroleum Prices Likely To Be Decreased. It is likely that petrol prices will decrease from April 1.
- Pakistan Receives Third Tranche of $500mn From IMF. Pakistan has received $498.7 mn as a third tranche of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- Nepra notifies increase in power tariff. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Tuesday approved a hike of Rs 0.65 per unit in the price of electricity
- Pakistan receives first shipment of single-dose CanSino vaccine. Pakistan on Tuesday received its first purchase of 60,000 doses of a Chinese CanSino Biologics Inc’s coronavirus vaccine
- Covid third wave: Public transport banned in 9 Punjab cities including Lahore. Keeping in view the rising coronavirus cases, the Punjab Transport Department on Tuesday banned all types of public transport in nine cities of Punjab including provincial capital Lahore,
- PMD predicts ‘good chance’ of Ramadan moon sighting on April 13 eve. Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted that there is good chance of sighting the new moon of Ramadan 1442 AH on the evening of April 13 (Tuesday).
- The dollar continues to slide, falls below Rs154 in Pakistan. The US dollar was selling at Rs153.2 in the interbank market after losing Rs0.8 value overnight, which is nearly a two-year low. The last time dollar sold below this level was on June 13, 2019.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 4,525 new cases and 41 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 40,369 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on March 29 at 7:51am).
- Pakistan’s president tests positive for COVID-19: President Arif Alvi tested positive for the virus after receiving his first dose of the vaccine. However, it takes time for immunity to develop against the virus, and he still needed his second dose to complete the vaccination process. In a tweet, President Alvi asked people to “please continue with caution.” He reportedly has mild symptoms.
2. Shaking up the Finance Ministry
What’s going on? Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan removed Finance Minister, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh. Minister for Industries and Production, Hammad Azhar, will replace Sheikh as Finance Minister.
The details: According to Information Minister, Shibli Faraz, PM Khan wants to bring in a new finance team to deal with inflation. PM Khan also wants Azhar to create policies that are “pro-poor” and based on “ground realities.”
Tell me more: Inflation suggests a general increase in prices. Overall, there has been rising inflation in Pakistan. Opposition parties are accusing PM Khan’s govt of mismanaging the economy.
The context: Sheikh was a Finance Advisor before PM Khan officially appointed him Minister of Finance in December 2020. However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) said unelected Advisors and Special Assistants can’t head govt committees, especially Cabinet committees. The Constitution allows short-term appointments for non-elected ministers. Sheikh needed to win a Parliament seat to continue serving as Finance Minister after June 11, 2021. However, Sheikh lost the Senate election last month to opposition candidate, Yousuf Raza Gilani. A Senate win would have given him a seat in the upper house of Parliament.
Something to know: Sheikh could have stayed in office until June 10, but PM Khan replaced him before his term ended. Azhar is the third finance minister to be appointed since PM Khan’s govt came into power in 2018. Sheikh also left in the middle of a $6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program, which has been delayed for a year.
The bottom line: PM Khan aims to introduce policies that will control rising inflation. The Finance Minister shake-up is taking place amid strong criticism from the opposition.
3. A digital platform about minorities
Check out Pakistan’s first digital platform dedicated to minorities. Award winning filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, is behind this initiative. The website, ‘White in the Flag,’ includes information on the history of minorities, minority communities, and minority stories. The website can be a helpful resource for students, activists and legislators who want to understand the issues minority groups are facing, such as targeted killings, forced conversions/marriage, mob attacks, and laws that are misused to discriminate against minorities. The website’s title is a reference to the white strip in Pakistan’s flag, which is supposed to represent various religious minorities in Pakistan.
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