Today’s top Pakistan current affairs April 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
- Four killed, 12 injured in blast at Quetta’s Serena Hotel. At least four people were killed and 12 others wounded in a blast at Quetta’s Serena Hotel Wednesday night, the Balochistan health authorities confirmed.
- Karachi to experience heatwave from April 23. Karachi will be experiencing a heatwave from April 23 to April 25, the Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted Wednesday.
- Decision to take physical O and A level exams this year. The decision to take physical O and A level exams this year was taken after approval from the National Command and Operation Centre, the additional attorney general told the Sindh High Court.
- Pakistan, Iran sign MoU over the establishment of border markets. Pakistan and Iran Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the opening of six market places at border areas of the two countries.
- At least 12 killed, 20 injured as passenger bus collides with van in Khairpur. At least 12 people lost their lives and 20 others got injured in a deadly road crash in Khairpur on Wednesday
- Pakistan starts vaccinating citizens aged 50-59 against Covid-19. With the coronavirus getting out of control, Pakistan started vaccinating people in the age group 50-59 against COVID-19 on Wednesday.
- Punjab announces exam schedule for grades I to VIII. The Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) has announced the schedule of examinations for grades I to VIII in 13 districts of the province.
- Pakistan Start T-20 Series Against Zimbabwe With Win. Pakistan on Wednesday defeated Zimbabwe by 11 runs in the first fixture of the three-match T20I series at the Harare Sports Club.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 5,445 new cases and 137 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 68,002 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on April 20 at 8:40am).
2. Pakistani journalist survives attack
Veteran Pakistani journalist, Absar Alam, was shot near his home in Islamabad, but he survived. This appears to be a targeted attack. Doctors said Alam is wounded, but in stable condition. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, and the motive is unclear. Alam is known to be critical of the country’s military. He also served as Chairman of Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). Interior Minister, Sheikh Rashid, ordered an investigation. Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, condemned the “assassination attempt.” In a video message after the shooting, Alam said “I will not lose hope, I will not be deterred by such acts.” He directed that message to whoever shot him. However, he didn’t accuse anyone, or take names.
3. A resolution on expelling the French ambassador
The far-right religious Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party wants the French ambassador out of Pakistan. The govt requested a National Assembly session to debate on a resolution, which calls for the expulsion of France’s ambassador. The govt is presenting the resolution in Parliament as part of its negotiation terms with TLP. In return, the govt said TLP will stop protesting. A lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party presented the resolution, which condemned the publication of caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in France. The resolution referred to these caricatures as “blasphemous.” The resolution also accused French President, Emmanuel Macron, of encouraging elements that hurt the sentiments of Muslims.
- So how did the session go? There was a lot of noise, but we want to get to the point. Opposition members want to have more of a say in the resolution, and are upset the govt didn’t loop them in sooner. However, they’re all on the same page about protecting Namoos-e-Risalat (i.e. the Holy Prophet’s honor), which is mentioned in the resolution. Now, opposition members have 2-3 days to give their input on the resolution. The House speaker adjourned the session until 11am on Friday.
- Something to know: While reading out the resolution, PTI lawmaker Amjid Ali Khan said the state should make decisions regarding international relations, not a person, group or party. Ironically, TLP is protesting to put pressure on the state, and trying to influence Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with France.
4. Three Pakistanis listed in Forbes 30 Under 30, Asia
We needed some good news today. Three Pakistanis – Abdullah Siddiqui, Misha Japanwala and Hannia Zia – made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia class of 2021! They were selected from over 2,500 nominations.
- Abdullah Siddiqui (Entertainment and Sports Category): Siddiqui is a music producer. He started releasing his English – language electronic music as an Independent artist when he was 16. He has appeared in Nescafe Basement, a Pakistan TV series that showcases local underground artists. Siddiqui has also written and produced music for prominent singers in Pakistan.
- Misha Japanwala (The Arts Category): Japanwala is a visual artist and designer. Her work addresses issues like domestic violence and honor killings in Pakistan. In 2018, Vogue Spain featured some of her work (i.e. a collection of breastplates and other wearable body castings) in a six-page spread.
- Hannia Zia (Enterprise Technology Category): Zia is one of the lead product managers for Pakistan’s pandemic tech response under the Digital Pakistan Initiative. She launched a Whatsapp bot to raise awareness about COVID-19 in seven local languages. She also grew the Health Ministry’s Facebook page to 1.8 million followers.
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