[Current Affairs] April 19, 2021 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for PPSC Test Preparation

Today’s top Pakistan current affairs April 19, 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

  • Pakistan Bans Incoming Passengers From India. The National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting headed by Asad Umar on Monday placed India on C-category for travellers, banning incoming passengers over concerns regarding a COVID variant found in the neighbouring country.
  • Prescribe medicines without using brand names, Pakistan regulator tells doctors. Doctors should write generic (chemical) drug names and not use brand names in their prescriptions, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has advised.
  • Pakistan installs first-ever mobile phone tower at K2 base camp. The Special Communication Organization, a government entity that works under the Ministry of Interior, has installed the first-ever cellphone tower at the K2 base camp.
  • 4.0-magnitude earthquake jolts Swat, Mingora and adjoining areas. An earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter Scale jolted Swat, Mingora and its suburban areas
  • FM Qureshi to depart for three-day official visit to Iran. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will depart for a three-day official visit to Iran on Tuesday, citing sources
  • Coronavirus: Balochistan govt announces closure of schools. Balochistan government has announced the closure of all schools across the province to contain the spread of novel coronavirus
  • Pakistan condoles with Egypt after deadly train derailment. Pakistan extended its condolences to Egypt on Monday, a day after 11 people were killed and 98 injured in a train accident in Egypt’s Qalioubia province north of Cairo.
  • Rupee Falls By 12 Paisa Against USD. The exchange rate of US Dollar increased by 12 paisa in the interbank on Monday against Pakistani rupee.
  • Pakistan Team Arrives Zimbabwe For T-20 And Test Series. The winner of T-20 and ODI series against South Africa, the green team on Monday reached Harare.

Spotlight by The NewsRun

1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN

  • 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 6,127 new cases and 149 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 71,836 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on April 18 at 9:10am).
  • Pakistan seeks international loans to get vaccines: The govt is trying to secure a $335 million loan to obtain more COVID-19 vaccines. The govt approached the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). However, Pakistan can’t use loans from the WB and ADB to procure Chinese-origin vaccines, which is what Pakistan has mostly been using so far. Chinese vaccines aren’t eligible for WB and ADB funding because vaccines have to be selected though the global COVAX initiative, approved by the World Health Organization, and authorized by European regulatory authorities. So far, Pakistan’s vaccination campaign has been really slow. Only 1.3 million people have been vaccinated, out of 99.5 million people who are eligible for the vaccine.

2. Russian operatives use Pakistani fake ID mill

What’s going on? The US is honing in on a facility called the Fresh Air Farm House in Karachi, Pakistan. According to US officials, 34-year-old Mohsin Raza runs the facility, which appears to be a recreational farm house that features three bedrooms, a playing field, a water slide, and a BBQ area. However, Raza reportedly used money earned from his digital fake ID business to construct Fresh Air Farm House.

The details: According to a statement by the US Treasury, and an indictment by federal prosecutors in New Jersey, Raza operated a digital fake ID mill that produced doctored drivers licenses, sham passports and forged utility bills to help “rogue clients” get past verification checks at US payment companies and technology firms. Some of these clients were allegedly Russian operatives with links to the Kremlin’s intelligence services (i.e. the Russian govt).

Tell me more: Some of Raza’s customers included an employee of the Internet Research Agency – a notorious Russian troll farm that has been accused of interfering in US elections. This employee allegedly used bogus identity documents to get fake accounts verified on Facebook.

Something to know: Raza said he used photoshop to edit ID cards, bills, and other documents. He doesn’t believe he did anything wrong, saying he was only helping people access accounts they’d been locked out of.

Looking ahead: US officials charged Raza with making fake documents and identity theft. The US placed Fresh Air Farm House on a list of sanctioned entities along with Russian oligarchs and defense contractors.

The bottom line: This is just one example of how international cybercrime is growing. In this case, alleged Russian operatives used a Pakistani fake ID merchant to get around US social media security barriers. Yes, with help from someone who knows how to use photoshop really well, it can be that easy for state-sponsored disinformation to spread online.

3. Another new Finance Minister

Remember when PM Khan removed Finance Minister, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, from his post? Then Hammad Azhar took over. Well, meet Azhar’s replacement, Shaukat Tarin. He is now the fourth person to hold the post of Finance Minister in the last two years. Azhar only served as Finance Minister for three weeks before being appointed Energy Minister. Former Energy Minister, Omar Ayub is now Minister of Economic Affairs. This economic shake-up is coming ahead of a critical budget-making period, which is expected to take place in June. The govt has to present the next financial year’s budget, along with other reforms that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended as a part of its $6 billion bailout for Pakistan.

  • Backstory: If Tarin’s name rings a bell, it’s because he used to be Finance Minister under the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) govt from 2008 to 2010. Tarin used to be a banker as well. In 2009, the then opposition Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) party filed a case against PPP’s Rental Power Project (RPP) in the Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court declared the RPP “illegal” and “void” due to alleged misconduct while awarding RPP’s contracts. Tarin apparently approved those contracts. Last year, an accountability court in Islamabad acquitted Tarin in the RPP case. However, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a petition against that acquittal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The IHC will hear NAB’s appeal in June.

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