[Current Affairs] 24 May, 2021 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for PPSC Test Preparation

2. Allegations of “illegal occupation” in Pakistan

What’s going on? According to the general consensus at an All Parties Conference (APC), Bahria Town Karachi (BTK) is “illegal and unconstitutional” and enforcing “a modern form of colonization.”

The details: These are some heavy accusations, but why? People who participated in the APC meeting accused BTK of illegally occupying lands to expand its housing development projects. The APC participants also claimed that BTK was destroying homes, villages, schools and graveyards, and wrongly referring to these activities as “development.”

Tell me more: The Indigenous Rights Alliance called the meeting. The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party attended, along with nationalist parties from Sindh and Balochistan, lawyers, and civil society organisations. Meeting participants accused two major political entities of facilitating BTK and letting it get away with bulldozing through people’s homes: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) govt and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which leads the provincial Sindh govt.

Looking ahead: The APC threw its support behind a sit-in at BTK’s main gate on June 6. Protests are also expected in all of Sindh’s districts on June 27. Apparently, around 500 First Information Reports (FIR) have also been filed against villagers living in areas where BTK is doing construction work. The APC demanded the cancellation of these FIRs.

The context: Pakistani businessman and real estate tycoon, Malik Riaz, is the founder of Bahria Town, a real estate development company. Earlier this month, several protests broke out in Sindh’s rural areas against the demolition of houses in Karachi’s old villages. Bahria Town is claiming land for its housing projects, and residents are saying ‘excuse me but we live here.’ For instance, residents tried to resist Bahria Town’s expansion in the areas of Gadap and Kathore. However, armed guards from Bahria Town’s private security firm reportedly opened fire at protesting villagers in Kathore. Police registered a case against the BTK security administration on charges of rioting, kidnapping and causing injuries.

The bottom line: Pakistanis throughout the countryare demonstrating against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, and accusing Israeli forces of violently targeting innocent Palestinians. At the same time, some form of “illegal occupation” is allegedly taking place at home in Pakistan as well.

4. Journalist apologizes for famous Princess Diana interview

Remember that explosive BBC interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1995? The one with veteran TV presenter, Martin Bashir? Bashir’s parents came from Pakistan. An independent investigation recently published by BBC concluded that Bashir used “deceitful” methods to get his famous sit-down interview with Diana. Retired judge Lord Dyson led the investigation, and found that Bashir showed Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, forged bank statements that suggested Palace staff were being paid to keep her under surveillance. Bashir reportedly shared the fake documents with Spencer to gain his trust so he would introduce him to Diana.

• Now what? Lord Dyson’s investigation also found that the BBC originally covered up the tactics Bashir used to secure his interview with Diana. Bashir admitted that mocking up the documents was “a stupid thing to do,” but insisted that it had no influence on Diana’s decision to be interviewed. Diana’s son, Prince William The Duke of Cambridge, slammed BBC for fueling her fear, paranoia and isolation, while her other son, Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex, called out a culture of exploitation and unethical practices. Bashir apologized to the dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, and claimed he never wanted to harm Diana. BBC also apologized for its role in the controversy.

• Backstory: Prince Charles and Diana separated three years before the 1995 interview. It was reportedly the first time a British royal spoke so openly about life in the Royal Family. She talked about her unhappy marriage to Charles, their affairs, and her bulimia. She even made this statement about Charles’ affair, which has gone down in UK broadcasting history: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”