Today’s top Pakistan current affairs 02 June, 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
- Tajik President arrives in Islamabad. President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon arrived in Islamabad today (Wednesday) on a two day visit to Pakistan.
- Cases Of Coronavirus Across The Country Decrease. Pakistan has reported 80 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 924,667. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 20,930 on Wednesday.
- Soldier Martyred in IED Blast in South Waziristan: ISPR. One soldier has embraced shahadat during explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) near a military Check Post in Kaniguram, South Waziristan District.
- Exams of 10th and 12th To Be Held After July 10: Shafqat Mahmood. Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood on Wednesday said that the students would not be awarded grades without attempting examinations.
- Pakistan universities allowed to reopen from June 7. All universities across Pakistan may reopen from June 7, the education minister announced Wednesday.
- Electricity prices lowered for April 2021, announces NEPRA. National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday lowered electricity prices for the month of April 2021 under fuel adjustment charges
- KP government launches online app for exam preparation. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has launched an online application for the preparation of exams as NCOC gave its nod to hold matric and intermediate exams nationwide
- Nearly 8mn people receive COVID jabs in Pakistan: NCOC. Pakistan has so far administered nearly eight million doses of COVID vaccine as the country has begun registration of people aged upto 19 years for the inoculation drive
- Gold rates decline in domestic market. Gold rates registered a decline in the domestic market on Wednesday as per tola price of yellow metal fell by Rs550 to Rs112,300
- Rupee depreciates against US dollar. The Pakistani rupee depreciated 23 paisas against the United States (US) dollar in the inter-bank currency market on Wednesday.
- ICC Champions Trophy Back, T20, ODI World Cups Expanded. The International Cricket Council announced the expansion of global events for men’s cricket on Tuesday and after its virtual board meeting.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour recap: Pakistan reported 1,771 cases and 71 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 47,633 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on June 1 at 8:08 am).
2. Rumors about a stimulus package
Pakistan’s finance ministry is reportedly thinking about launching a stimulus package to support the economy. The new finance minister, Shaukat Tarin, is going to lead the initiative if it comes through. There is no formal proposal yet, and talks about the stimulus package are apparently at a very early stage. If this does happen, the stimulus would include incentives in collaboration with the central bank and packages for the poor. Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow 3.9% in the financial year 2020-2021 ending in June. However, the govt is reportedly worried that COVID-19 will throw its projections off course. Tarin said they’re also trying to re-negotiate some economic reforms that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended as a part of its bailout package for Pakistan, such as hiked up power tariffs and taxes.
3. Geo responds after taking TV host off air
What’s going on? On Friday, well known-Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir, and dozens of other journalists attended a rally in Islamabad to condemn the attack on fellow journalist, Asad Ali Toor, who works for Aaj News. Geo News took Mir off-air shortly after he spoke at the protest. During his speech, Mir reportedly implied that Pakistan’s military was involved in rising attacks on journalists in Pakistan. Mir also demanded accountability for repeated attacks on journalists.
The details: Geo’s management informed Mir that he won’t be hosting “Capital Talk” on Geo News starting on Monday. According to Mir, Geo’s management said “there’s a lot of pressure.” However, they didn’t specify where that pressure was coming from. “Capital Talk” is known to be a popular show. During the program, Mir would invite guests to debate about current events in the country.
Support for Mir: Amnesty International South Asia tweeted in support of Mir, saying “censorship, harassment and physical violence must not be the price journalists pay to do their jobs.” The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it “strongly condemns” the decision to take Mir off air, saying he was right to voice his concerns about the safety of his peers and colleagues. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) called on Geo’s management to let the journalist fraternity know what drove their decision to take Mir off air. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said forcing Mir off air “underscores the lack of true press freedom in Pakistan.”
Geo’s response: The Geo/Jang Group issued a statement after excess pushback from journalists and rights groups. It said Mir made a speech that “resulted in backlash from different segments of society.” Geo also said its editorial committee and lawyers have to see if any policies or laws were violated. In the meantime, someone else will temporarily host “Capital Talk.” Geo also claimed that it works hard to keep its viewers informed despite a previous shutdown, plus threats and fake allegations against its journalists.
The context: Last Wednesday, three unidentified men beat up Toor at his apartment in Islamabad. Toor is reportedly known for his critical coverage of Pakistan’s govt and military. In a police report, Toor said his attackers claimed they were from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. In 2014, Mir himself survived a gun attack shortly after he spoke about the military’s alleged rights violations in Balochistan. At the time, Mir’s family accused Pakistan’s intelligence service of coordinating the attack.
Looking ahead: In response to being taken off air, Mir said this is nothing new for him. So far, authorities haven’t arrested anyone in connection with the attack on Toor, and police are still investigating. Without naming Mir or Geo, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, said media institutions are responsible for their own policies under Article 19 of the Constitution. Article 19 is supposed to protect freedom of speech, expression, and the press. However, these rights are subject to certain limitations in the interest of things like “Islam,” “security,” “defence,” “public order” “morality” or “decency.”
Throwback: While speaking at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in 2019, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan denied accusations about suppressed press freedom in Pakistan, claiming that “the media in Pakistan is not just free, but sometimes out of control.” In response, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) pointed out legal cases against journalists, suspended news channels, and attacks on reporters in Pakistan.
The bottom line: Journalists in Pakistan have reportedly been encountering an increase in press censorship. Journalists and press freedom advocates keep trying to reiterate that critical comments about key state institutions are an important part of democracy, and not a crime.
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