Today’s top Pakistan current affairs April 01, 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
- Federal Cabinet Rejects Proposal To Import Cotton From India. The Federal Cabinet Thursday rejected the proposal to import sugar and cotton from India in a meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
- Another 500,000 Vaccine Doses to Reach Pakistan Tonight: Umar. A fresh batch of 0.5 million coronavirus vaccine doses is due to arrive in Pakistan tonight (Thursday), said Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre.
- Russian FM To Arrive in Pakistan on April 6. Russia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov will visit Pakistan on April 6-7 to hold talks with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
- Pakistan unblocks TikTok after three weeks. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is expected to unblock video-sharing app TikTok after three weeks on the instructions of the Peshawar High Court.
- Covid-19 vaccine not needed for Ramazan Umrah: Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims intending to perform Umrah during Ramazan this year will not need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said Thursday.
- 10 killed, 25 injured as wedding bus overturns in Larkana. At least 10 people were killed while more than 25 got injured after a wedding bus overturned in Larkana on Thursday
- Gold price rises in domestic market. The per tola gold price on Thursday registered an increase of Rs1900 to Rs104,600 in the domestic market
- Rupee drops 54 paisas against US dollar. The Pakistan rupee weakened by 54 paisas against the United States (US) dollar in the interbank currency market on Thursday.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 4,757 new cases and 78 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 43,965 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on March 31 at 8:13am).
2. Alleged human rights issues in Pakistan and India
What’s going on? In its “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” for 2020, the U.S. State Department identified various human rights issues in both Pakistan and India.
India: According to the report, significant human rights issues in India include,
- Unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings perpetrated by police
- Arbitrary arrest and detention by govt authorities
- Political prisoners or detainees in certain states
- Restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, including violence, threats of violence
- Unjustified arrests or prosecutions against journalists
- Use of criminal libel laws to prosecute social media speech
- Lack of investigation or accountability for violence against women
- Tolerating violations of religious freedom
- Violence and discrimination targeting members of minority groups, including women, based on religious affiliations or social status
Pakistan: According to the report, significant human rights issues in Pakistan include,
- Unlawful or arbitrary killings by the government or its agents, including extrajudicial killings
- Forced disappearances by the govt or its agents
- Arbitrary arrests and detention
- Political prisoners
- Restrictions on free expression, the press and the internet, including violence against journalists
- Unjustified arrests and disappearances of journalists
- Lack of investigation or accountability for violence against women
- Restrictions of religious freedom
- Violence or threats of violence targeting members of racial and ethnic minorities
Something to know: Are you noticing the overlap? There were numerous other human rights issues listed in the report, but we honed in on a few that were mentioned for both countries. The report also noted a lack of accountability in Pakistan and India, which is why perpetrators think they can get away with committing abuses.
The bottom line: Pakistan often points fingers at India’s govt for committing alleged human rights violations in India-administered Kashmir. However, it’s also time for Pakistan’s govt to look inward at the reported human rights issues in its own country.
3. The Supreme Court’s verdict on rape survivors
In what is being called “a landmark ruling,” Pakistan’s Supreme Court took a stand against the “character assassination” of rape survivors. Three men who were convicted of rape filed a review petition. In response, the Supreme Court’s verdict explains that a woman’s sexual history shouldn’t reduce her credibility as a witness or complainant in a rape case. The verdict also states that women, regardless of their sexual character or reputation, are entitled to equal protection of the law. Basically, a man can’t assume a woman’s allegedly “immoral character” gives him automatic permission to violate her “person or privacy.”
According to the ruling authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah,
- Reporting the sexual history of a rape survivor amounts to discrediting her independence, identity, autonomy, and free choice.
- Physical exams of rape complainants can only be performed to confirm whether the crime of rape was committed, not to determine her “virginity” or “chastity.” The Supreme Court also identified the “gender biases” in medical-legal reports, which use words like “habituated to sexual intercourse,” “woman of loose character,” or “non-virgin,” to describe rape survivors in some cases. This terminology reportedly questions the character of the rape survivor, and supports the glaringly incorrect assumption that a sexually active woman will easily consent to sexual activity with anyone.
4. Indian matchmaker turns down Indian-Muslim actress
Have you seen the Netflix show Indian Matchmaking? The inside look into South Asia’s arranged marriage culture was relatable to people who have either heard stories about the process, or gone through it themselves. Now, the show’s matchmaker, Sima Taparia, is in the news again. According to Indian-Muslim actress, Nausheen Ali Sardar, Taparia said she “does not cater to Muslims or Catholics.” Sardar reached out to Taparia’s matchmaking agency, and apparently got turned down because of her religion. We can’t confirm why Taparia doesn’t work with Muslim or Catholic clients. Maybe she doesn’t have enough “biodatas” of Muslim or Catholic singles who are originally Indian? Maybe she isn’t familiar with how Muslim or Catholic families operate when it comes to marriage? All we know is that Sardar was shocked.
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