Today’s top Pakistan current affairs April 14, 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
- ECC Approves Rs 11.7b For Mother & Child Hospitals In Punjab. The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet has approved 11.7 billion rupees as the share of the Federal Government for the establishment of four mother and child hospitals in Punjab.
- NCOC issues Ramadan SOPs amid COVID-19 third wave. The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued on Wednesday new standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain the spread of coronavirus during the holy month of Ramadan.
- Vaccination centres to remain open across country after Iftar. In order to provide more facilities to the citizens willing to get vaccinated against coronavirus, the federal government on Wednesday announced that coronavirus vaccination centres will operate in two shifts during the holy month of Ramzan.
- 20kg flour bag is available Rs800, Sugar for Rs68/kg: Utility Stores. In a high-level huddle scheduled on Tuesday which Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired himself to discuss price control of essential food items as the holy month of Ramazan arrived, Utility Stores officials noted that 20KG flour bag is available for Rs800 in the facility
- Sindh cabinet okays 250 new hybrid electric buses for Karachi, Hyderabad. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday presided over a seven-hour long cabinet meeting and discussed over 23 agenda items.
- UAE partners with Japan’s iSpace to send rover to the moon. Lunar exploration company iSpace will transport a United Arab Emirates rover to the moon in 2022, the company said on Wednesday, as the UAE pushes for rapid expansion in the space exploration business.
- Nato Forces To Leave Together From Afghanistan By September 11
- Pakistan Thrashes SA In 3rd ODI By Nine Wickets. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam smashed his first Twenty20 hundred to inspire his country’s nine wicket win over South Africa in the third T20 International of four match series on Wednesday.
- After becoming number one in ODIs, Babar reveals future goals. Pakistan captain Babar Azam is planning to replicate Sir Vivian Richards and Virat Kohli’s marathon runs as the world’s number one batsman in ODIs.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 4,318 new cases and 118 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 50,520 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on April 13 at 7:28am).
2. US to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by Sept 11
What’s going on? Two congressional aides and a senior administration official claimed that US Democratic President, Joe Biden, plans to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. Former Republican President, Donald Trump, initially announced a May 1, 2021 deadline. The senior official said they want to end military operations and focus on supporting the peace process between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan govt.
The details: The withdrawal will reportedly take place regardless of the security situation in Afghanistan, which is still unstable and dire. There are high levels of violence in the country despite the US-Taliban deal, and the beginning of negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan govt. Even though Taliban militants aren’t attacking international troops, they’re still going after civilians and fighting Afghan security forces.
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. The US also urged the Taliban to negotiate a peace deal with the Afghan govt. 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 in Doha after decades of conflict.
Looking ahead: According to the senior official, the Biden administration will still monitor terrorist threats from Al Qaeda and ISIS, while also keeping the Taliban in check.
Something to know: Pakistan played a role in setting up direct negotiations between the US and Afghan Taliban. Pakistan helped set up the Afghan-govt and Taliban talks as well. That’s why Pakistan is seen as a key player in the Afghan peace process. It’s unclear how Pakistan feels about the latest US troop withdrawal deadline.
The bottom line: Some lawmakers in the US support Biden’s troop withdrawal deadline, because they don’t want the country to be stuck in a “forever war.” However, other lawmakers think Biden’s decision is “short-sighted,” because a hasty exit could jeopardize the peace process and give terrorist entities in Afghanistan room to thrive. There are concerns that fighting and violence in Afghanistan will get worse after US troops leave.
3. Clashes between police and Islamist protestors
It all started when police arrested Saad Hussain Rizvi, leader of the far-right religious party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). Rizvi’s arrest ended up causing an uproar amongst his supporters. On Monday, protests broke out in multiple cities. Protesters blocked highways and roads. Thousands of people were stuck in their vehicles due to traffic jams. At least three protestors are dead. Dozens of police officials are wounded. Protestors in Lahore reportedly beat a police constable to death. Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Rizvi and other TLP leaders under various charges, including terrorism. The govt’s strategy to control the protests is still unclear. Other TLP leaders said the protests won’t stop until Rizvi tells them to stop, and until the French Ambassador is deported.
- Backstory: Rizvi’s arrest was reportedly a pre-emptive move to maintain law and order, since TLP was expected to stage a protest soon if the govt didn’t honor some commitments it made in February. These commitments included expelling the French ambassador and banning the import of goods from France. TLP lashed out at France after French president, Emmanuel Macron, made remarks that were considered “Islamophobic.” TLP also claims “blasphemous caricatures” were published in France. However, the govt said it was going to present these issues in Parliament, not necessarily follow through on TLP’s demands.
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