Today’s top Pakistan current affairs 20 May, 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
- Mohmand Dam To Be Completed by 2025: PM. Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Mohmand Dam will be completed by 2025.
- BYD Will Manufacture Electric Vehicles In Pakistan: Hammad. Federal Minister for Energy, Hammad Azhar said on Thursday that Pakistan was moving towards electrification of mass transit as a consequence of EV policy approved by the federal government last year in December.
- Buzdar approves 25pc allowance to remove disparity in salaries. Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has approved a 25 percent special allowance for government employees from June to remove disparity in the salaries of government employees.
- Professional exams can now be held in Pakistan: Shafqat Mahmood. The National Command Operation Center has allowed organisations and institutions to hold professional exams or tests in Pakistan, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said Thursday.
- Punjab school reopening decision to be announced in 24 hours. Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas has said that the decision on schools in Punjab will be announced in the next 24 hours.
- Islamabad federal educational institutions to remain closed till June 6. Federal educational institutions in Islamabad will remain closed till June 6, the Federal Directorate of Education announced Thursday.
- UNGA session: UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday once again called on Israel and Palestine to immediately end fighting and return to negotiations.
- Rupee weakens against US dollar. The Pakistani rupee depreciated 24 paisas against the United States (US) dollar in the interbank market on Thursday.
- PCB receives green signal from Abu Dhabi for PSL6. The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that it has received all outstanding approvals and exemptions from the United Arab Emirates government for hosting the remaining Pakistan Super League matches in Abu Dhabi.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 4,207 new cases and 131 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 51,130 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on May 20 at 7:37 am).
- Pakistan to lift some COVID-19 restrictions: The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) will lift some COVID-19 restrictions that were implemented to prevent the spread of the virus. As of May 24, outdoor restaurants will open daily until 11:59pm, the tourism sector will reopen with strict COVID-19 protocols, and education institutes in districts with less than a 5% positivity rate will reopen. As of June 1, outdoor marriage ceremonies are back on with a maximum of 150 people, and elective surgeries can be scheduled. As of June 7, educational institutes in all districts will reopen in a “staggered” manner. After June 20, all matric and intermediate exams will take place, while all professional and non-professional exams will happen on a case-by-case basis. Minister of Planning, Asad Umar, reminded people to be careful and get vaccinated since things are not completely back to normal yet, and won’t be until Pakistan reaches its vaccination targets.
2. Mob beats Christians in Okara village
What’s going on? Police registered a case against 66 people for allegedly torturing some members of the Christian community.
The details: At first, a group of people reportedly beat up four Christians in a Muslim-majority village. UCA News and Dawn are sharing different reports about this incident. According to UCA News, Mangta and a few other Christian boys were cleaning a church when one of the Muslim landlords passed by and accused them of throwing dust on him. UCA News quoted a priest at the St. Thomas Catholic Church in Chak 5, who said “they attacked the boys and raided 15 houses of our community the next day.” However, Dawn reported that a motorcyclist came by, started abusing the Christian boys, and told them to stop spreading dust. Afterwards, the motorcyclist came back with more people and attacked them with weapons and rods.
Tell me more: Mangta said a mob attacked his house the next day. According to UCA News, Mangta lost his thumb during the attack. The mob was reportedly carrying glass bottles, stones, axes, batons and bricks. They even started breaking furniture. According to Dawn, Mangta filed a First Information Report (FIR), and said around 66 people entered his home, tortured his sister-in-law, and threw bricks at his house.
The context: This assault on the Christian community happened in the backdrop of pro-Palestinian rallies in Pakistan. People are protesting the Israeli military’s violence against Palestinians and airstrikes on Gaza that have killed numerous civilians, including children. In the meantime, Christians in the Okara village are worried about future attacks, because they think the govt doesn’t do enough to protect religious minorities in Pakistan.
Bottom line: While it’s important to speak out against injustices taking place abroad, it’s also essential to look inward at violent incidents taking place in your own backyard.
3. Is the Prime Minister’s ruling party splitting up?
Lots of mixed news here, but judging from this Dawn report, the answer is ‘no.’ Jahangir Tareen, a businessman and senior member of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, rejected rumors about a “split” in the ruling party. Tareen said he has made a “group” within the party, but they’re not actually breaking away. If Tareen’s group were to actually break away from PTI, it would make the party’s slim parliamentary majority even slimmer. Tareen reportedly played a big role in getting many politicians to join PM Khan’s PTI party, and also helped PM Khan win the 2018 general election. Now, Tareen is being investigated in some corruption cases.
- Backstory: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reportedly registered three cases against Tareen, though he claims the cases aren’t connected with a “sugar scam,” which was initially the talk of the town. Tareen said the FIA’s claims against him and his family are “totally fabricated.” Around 40 lawmakers in the National Assembly and provincial Punjab Assembly are backing Tareen. He even hosted a dinner for his supporters on Tuesday, where 31 lawmakers showed up. Noman Langarial, one of Tareen’s supporters who attended the dinner, believes what happened to Tareen is wrong, which is why these lawmakers are supporting him. Langarial was apparently referring to the accusations against Tareen in the sugar scam inquiry.
- Remind me, what was the sugar scam? PM Khan asked the FIA to investigate a sugar shortage in the country, which was causing a surge in sugar prices. Last year, the FIA’s sugar inquiry commission reported that some sugar mill owners were manipulating the market to make a massive profit amounting to billions of rupees. Tareen’s name came up in the commission’s report, along with the names of other key govt and political opposition figures.
