[Current Affairs] December 01,2020 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for FPSC Test Preparation

2. Anti-govt rally in Multan pushes through 

What’s going on? Yesterday, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) held a rally in Multan. At the same time, another member of the Bhutto family stepped into the political spotlight. We’re talking about Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, former PM Benazir Bhutto’s youngest daughter/child. Reminder: PDM is an opposition alliance against the govt. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) are the three largest political parties in the PDM.

The details: Some people in Pakistan’s Twittersphere think Aseefa spoke really well at the Multan rally. Others are happily saying, ‘like mother, like daughter.’ PPP Senator, Sherry Rehman, said Aseefa “made us all proud.” Aseefa has a background in global health. She’s a UN Ambassador for polio eradication, and aims to make Pakistan polio-free. It looks like she’s getting more involved with PPP. Her older brother, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, is PPP’s Chairman (P.S. he’s in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19).

Tell me more: PML-N Vice President, Maryam Nawaz, spoke at the same rally. Images of Nawaz and Aseefa standing next to each other on a container are making rounds online. In fact, Nawaz welcomed Aseefa to the stage/container. Reporter, Benazir Shah, and political commentator, Marvi Sirmed, tweeted about the girl power vibe.

The govt’s response: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) govt is lashing out at the opposition alliance for holding rallies in the middle of a pandemic. The rallies have big crowds, which have the potential to become COVID-19 hotbeds. If you watch this video, you’ll notice that social distancing at the Multan rally appears non-existent. There’s another video of Aseefa asking people at the rally to wear face masks.

The context: This month, the govt said it’s banning political rallies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Last week, the opposition alliance gathered thousands of supporters in Peshawar. The police reportedly arrested PDM leaders to stop them from attending the Multan rally on Monday. Before the Multan rally, the govt placed containers on major roads to block large crowds from gathering at the venue.

The bottom line: Despite arrests and road blocks, the PDM powered through with their rally in Multan.PM Khan keepsbringing up the pandemic, and how it’s careless to have massive protests. The opposition alliance is determined to continue protesting, because they want the PTI govt to step down.