[Current Affairs] 17 July 2020 Pakistan Top Current Affairs for Entry Test Prep

1/ The black hole of Pak-India relations

What’s going on? Pak-India relations are like a black hole, because there is no end in sight for the quarrel between both countries. The latest clash is over former Indian Naval Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The context: In 2016, Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan and convicted of espionage by a Pakistani military court a year later. India said ‘not so fast’ and looped in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ ordered Pakistan to halt Jadhav’s execution, and requested consular access for India. The ICJ also asked Pakistan to review Jadhav’s death penalty. However, Jadhav is still in the custody of Pakistan’s military.

The details: Yesterday, India claimed its diplomats protested and left a meeting with Jadhav. According to the Indian diplomats, Pakistan wasn’t honoring its agreement to allow “unimpeded” consular access to Jadhav. Indian officials also said they couldn’t obtain Jadhav’s written consent to arrange legal representation, which is needed for a review of his case. Pakistan’s Foreign Office shot back and said Indian officials had “unimpeded” and “uninterrupted” access to Jadhav. This was the second meeting between Jadhav and Indian officials since the ICJ’s ruling.

Looking ahead: India’s consular officers basically wanted to speak with Jadhav freely without Pakistani officials breathing down their necks. Pakistan is ready to give India another consular meeting with Jadhav, this time without security officials present.

The bottom line: Both countries are spinning this story in their favor. On one end, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said, “the Indian officials’ reluctance to meet Jadhav exposed their malice, New Delhi never wanted access in the first place.” On the other hand, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Pakistan’s approach continues to be “obstructive and insincere.”

3/ Pakistani pilots in the clear: A few pilots from Pakistan working for foreign airlines managed to navigate some air pockets (sorry, we had to). You may recall the fake pilot licenses scandal. Pakistan’s Aviation Minister revealed that around 260 pilots in Pakistan have illegitimate licenses and are not qualified to fly. At least 150 of these pilots work for national airline carrier, PIA. Since then, airlines in 10 countries demanded proof to make sure 176 Pakistani pilot licenses were valid. Yesterday, Pakistani authorities said they confirmed 166 out of 176 credentials for pilots working with foreign airlines.

Current Affairs Quiz: [Quiz] GK & Pakistan Current Affairs Quiz 16 July 2020