Today’s top Pakistan current affairs 25 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
- No US Airbase in Pakistan: FM Qureshi. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has rejected the notion that Pakistan will allow the United States to set up a base inside the country and asserted that under Imran Khan, Pakistan is in safe hands.
- Pakistan Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood contracts Covid-19. Pakistan Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood has tested positive for Covid-19.
- BVI court reverses Reko Diq case verdict, saves PIA hotels & litigation expense. The high court of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has Tuesday voided the earlier verdict in the Reko Diq case wherein PIA hotels in Paris and Manhattan were frozen as the country was liable to pay out a whopping US$6 billion to Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) and released PIA assets registered by BVS company
- Punjab to reopen all medical, dental and nursing schools from May 27. Punjab government has Tuesday announced to open all public and private medical colleges across the province starting May 27 with all Covid-19 SOPs strictly in place
- 48m face lack of clean water in Pakistan, 8 other countries: UNICEF. Some 48 million people are estimated to need safe water and sanitation services in Pakistan and eight other countries including Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.
- Sun to align directly over Holy Kaaba this Thursday. Astronomers say that the sun will align with the Holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque on Thursday at 1418 hours PST.
- Protesters at Lahore Expo Centre demand vaccine recommended by Saudi Aviation. Those people planning on travelling to Saudi Arabia arrived at the Lahore Expo Centre to protest the lack of availability of the AztraZenc vaccine, which has been recommended by the Saudi Aviation Authority.
- Gold price rises in domestic market. The per tola gold price on Tuesday registered an increase of Rs 500 to Rs 109,900 in the domestic market
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour recap: Pakistan reported 3,060 cases and 57 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 58,670 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on May 24 at 7:28 am).
- Canada extends ban on direct flights from Pakistan: Canada is extending a travel ban on direct passenger flights from India and Pakistan until June 2021. Canada originally enforced the travel ban on April 22 until May 22 due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 variants. Only cargo flights carrying vaccines and protective equipment will be allowed into Canada. If passengers from these countries really want to come to Canada, there’s still the ‘the third country pre-departure testing’ option. Meaning, passengers can come via an indirect route, but they have to receive a negative COVID-19 test result from a third country before boarding a flight to Canada.
- Introducing PakVac: Pakistan has reportedly been working on a COVID-19 vaccine with help from Chinese vaccine company, CanSino Biologics, and raw materials transported from China. On Monday, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Dr. Faisal Sultan, announced that the vaccine is ready, and the made-in-Pakistan version is called PakVac. He said the vaccine passed “rigorous quality control checks and testing.” Dr. Sultan also said this is an important step towards ramping up Pakistan’s vaccine supply.
2. Pakistan grants air and ground access to US military
What’s going on? Pakistan is reportedly giving the US military ground access and permission to use its airspace. Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Affairs, David F. Helvey, said the US would continue its conversation with Pakistan because of its “critical role” in restoring peace in Afghanistan.
The details: Helvey said Pakistan has allowed overflight and ground access so the US can keep supporting its military presence in Afghanistan. The US military won’t have many assets on the ground in Afghanistan, especially with its troops pulling out by September 11 this year. That means the US will have to rely on its regional partners (e.g. Pakistan) in order to address potential terrorist threats in Afghanistan.
The context: US forces have been present in Afghanistan since 2001. In February 2020, the US and its NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan in exchange for security and counter-terrorism guarantees from the Taliban. Former Republican President, Donald Trump, initially announced a May 1, 2021 deadline. So far, Pakistan has played a key role in the peace process by bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table, first with US officials, and then with Afghan govt representatives. At first, the Taliban refused to sit down with Afghan govt officials, calling them “American puppets.” In September 2020, the Taliban and Afghan govt finally kicked off direct talks with each other after decades of conflict.
The bottom line: It’s still unclear what frameworks, relationships and arrangements the US will use to make sure Afghanistan doesn’t become a terrorist hotbed. However, it looks like Pakistan’s bilateral ties with the US going forward will definitely involve security in Afghanistan.
3. Pakistani Christian inmate’s health declines
Shafqat Emmanuel’s health is reportedly deteriorating due to his unfit prison conditions. He’s a Pakistani Christian who was sentenced to death for allegedly committing blasphemy. Emmanuel was diagnosed as a paraplegic and suffers from large pressure sores. Emmanuel’s lawyer said “the whole flesh on his backside has withered due to bed sores, the poor fellow is not taken to the hospital.” Even Amnesty International issued a health alert, which claims Emmanuel is completely paralyzed from the waist down and has to rely on prison guards to perform the most basic tasks, like leaving his bed and using the bathroom. His pain is getting worse as well.
- Backstory: In 2013, Emmanuel and his wife were accused and convicted of sending blasphemous text messages to a prayer leader at a mosque. The couple denied the charges against them, claimed a fake SIM card was presented as evidence at their trial, and said there’s no way they could have written text messages since they aren’t literate enough. Both were still sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. They are jailed separately and have filed appeals against their sentences in the Lahore High Court (LHC). Emmanuel’s lawyer claimed this is a “bogus case.” False blasphemy accusations are reportedly common in Pakistan for reasons like personal vendettas or religious hatred.
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