Today’s top Pakistan current affairs 04 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
- 83 More Pakistanis Die of COVID-19. Eighty-three more deaths and 1893 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the country.
- Pakistan-Egypt Joint Air Defense Exercise Concludes. The closing ceremony of Pakistan-Egypt Joint Air Defense Exercise ‘Sky Guards-1’ was held in Cairo today (Friday).
- Islamabad private schools to reopen June 7. All private educational institutions in Islamabad will resume physical classes from June 7, the Education Ministry said Friday.
- Punjab aims to vaccinate 70mn people against Covid-19 by year-end. The Punjab government has set a target of vaccinating over 70 million people against the COVID-19 by the end of this year
- IBCC expresses reservation over decision to hold exam of elective papers: sources. The Inter Board Committee of Chairman (IBCC) has expressed their reservations on the federal education ministry’s decision to hold papers for elective subjects during intermediate exams
- Medical colleges, universities to reopen across Punjab from June 7. Medical colleges and universities across Punjab to reopen from June 7, announced provincial health department on Friday
- Rupee appreciates against US dollar. The Pakistani rupee appreciated 17 paisas against the United States (US) dollar in the inter-bank currency market on Friday.
- Gold prices fall in domestic market. The per tola gold price on Friday registered a decrease of Rs 1,550 to Rs 111,000 in the domestic market
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour recap: Pakistan reported 2,028 cases and 92 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 51,523 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on June 3 at 7:37 am).
2. Christian couple acquitted in blasphemy case
What’s going on? A Christian couple in Pakistan was reportedly found guilty of blasphemy in 2013. The Lahore High Court (LHC) recently overturned their death sentence due to a lack of evidence.
The details: Shagufta and her husband, Shafqat, were accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. However, on Thursday, their lawyer said the LHC acquitted them.
The context: Shafqat and Shagufta were accused and convicted of sending blasphemous text messages to a prayer leader at a mosque. The couple denied the charges against them. Both were sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and jailed separately.
Something to know: Blasphemy can be punishable by death in Pakistan. Even though the state hasn’t officially executed someone for blasphemy, angry mobs still attack people who have been accused of blasphemy. False blasphemy accusations are also common in Pakistan for reasons like personal vendettas or religious hatred.
The bottom line: The couple was in prison for about seven years. They were convicted and faced a death sentence even though there was reportedly a lack of evidence to support the blasphemy accusations against them.
3. Malala’s views on marriage strike a nerve
The 23-year-old Pakistani education advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, made it to the cover of British Vogue. Vogue also published an interview with Yousafzai. She talked about her advocacy work, life at college, friends, family, and future plans. However, some Pakistanis have a problem with this comment she made about marriage:”I still don’t understand why people have to get married. If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can’t it just be a partnership?”
- Critics: Some people are accusing Yousafzai of promoting “western thoughts,” challenging Islamic values, and ignoring the importance of a Nikkah (i.e. when a couple is legally wed under Islamic law).
- Supporters: Yousafzai’s supporters claim she has a right to have personal opinions and preferences, even if they’re different from what others believe. Some people are pointing out that marriage should be a genuine partnership and not just a legal contract. Some are saying Yousafzai is simply a young girl questioning the choices and expectations in her life after graduating college. Yousafzai’s father claimed that people are taking an excerpt of her interview out of context. Actor and author, Mira Sethi, called out 24 News HD for writing the headline, “Malala ditches Nikkah, prefers ‘partner’ in life without signing papers.” According to Sethi, this headline is “a blatant lie,” since Yousafzai was just thinking about her preferences abstractly and didn’t even mention nikkah.
4. Pakistan’s first digital bank
The Islamabad-based fintech startup, TAG Innovation, is reportedly set to become Pakistan’s first digital bank, in a country where around 70% of the population reportedly doesn’t have a bank account. TAG will launch with a limited number of customers and start commercial operations in two or three months. So far, the company has raised about $5.5 million in pre-seed funding, in a funding round led by Quiet Capital Management, Liberty City Ventures, and Fatima Gobi Ventures. TAG also received angel investments from general partners at Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Canaan Partners and the founder of Mercury, Immad Akhund.
- Backstory: Pakistan reportedly has the third largest unbanked adult population in the world, with around 100 million adults that don’t have a bank account. TAG’s CEO, Talal Gondal, stated that some banks in Pakistan don’t even have a banking app. Gondal believes “the system is broken.” TAG aims to simplify the process of opening a bank account. The startup got a provisional electronic money institution license from the central bank last year, which allows basic banking services like cash transfers, online shopping, and a debit card.
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