Today’s top Pakistan current affairs January 12, 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
- India spoiling Afghan peace process: FM Qureshi. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said that Narendra Modi-led Indian government was spoiling the Afghan peace process,
- Pakistan registers protest with Indian diplomat over ceasefire violations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on January 11
- Azerbaijan FM Jeyhun Bayramov To Visit Pakistan Tomorrow. Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov will be visiting Pakistan on Wednesday on a two-day official visit.
- PTV Chairman’s Appointment Challenged in Lahore High Court. Naeem Bokhari’s appointment as the Chairman of Pakistan Television (PTV) has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
- PMC Extends Admission Deadline for Private Medical Colleges. The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has announced an extension of the deadlines for admission applications to private colleges.
- Students Can Now Apply for Ph.D. Directly After BS Degrees. Higher Education Commission (HEC) has reportedly revised its policy for Ph.D. admissions on 1 January 2021.
- Tarbela Dam’s Power Generation Reduced to 428 MW. The Tarbela Dam generated only 428 megawatts of electricity on Monday as seven out of seventeen of its power generation units had been working on low capacity and ten of its units had been shut down.
- WhatsApp alert: Hoax message about virus can ‘hack your phone in 10 seconds’. National Information Technology Board (NITB) has warned WhatsApp users they could be hit by a hack spreading across the world.
- PCB committee calls for Misbah’s removal as head coach. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Cricket Committee has called for the the removal of Misbah-ul-Haq as the national team’s head coach.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 2,408 new cases and 41 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 40,088 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on January 12 at 8:17am).
- Which vaccine is Pakistan getting soon? Pakistan is reportedly getting its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese vaccine manufacturing company, Sinopharm. The vaccines are scheduled to arrive by the first week of February. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Health, and acting Health Minister, Dr. Faisal Sultan, said the first group of 1.1 million doses for about 500,000 people will come from Sinopharm. Frontline workers and senior citizens will be first in line to get the vaccine.
2. Supreme Court will hear Meesha Shafi’s appeal
What’s going on? Women and activists in Pakistan’s social media sphere are applauding the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the appeal of singer, Meesha Shafi.This is regarding her sexual harassment allegations against singer and actor, Ali Zafar. The court will hear her case on legal grounds, and decide whether it falls under Pakistan’s laws on harassment in the workplace.
The details: Shafi initially filed a complaint with the Punjab ombudsperson in 2018 under the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010. However, the Punjab ombudsperson dismissed her plea on a minor technicality. Since Shafi is self-employed, and works for herself, she didn’t have an employer-employee relationship with Zafar. Afterwards, Shafi filed an appeal with the Punjab governor, who ended up siding with the Punjab ombudsperson. Later on, she approached the Lahore High Court (LHC), which also rejected her request.
The context: In 2018, Shafi accused Zafar of sexually harassing her on more than one occasion. She posted her allegations on social media. Zafar has been denying her allegations ever since. He also filed a defamation lawsuit against her.
The bottom line: Shafi’s supporters think this is a win for her, and a step in the right direction. The Supreme Court has agreed to review her workplace sexual harassment case, but hasn’t made a final decision yet. However, the outcome will determine whether Pakistan’s workplace harassment laws can also protect self-employed people. The Supreme Court could possibly broaden the definition of a “workplace” as well.
3. Moving from cash to digital
PM Imran Khan launched an instant digital payment system called, Raast (i.e. direct way). The govt-run system aims to encourage financial inclusion and boost govt revenue. PM Khan said the country’s cash-based economy is an obstacle, especially when it comes to tax collection. He’s trying to further automate the tax collection process and reach more of Pakistan’s massive population. According to PM Khan, out of a population of 220 million, only 2 million are taxpayers. Merchants, businesses, individuals, fintechs, and govt entities will be able to send and receive payments with Raast. Govt payments like salaries and pensions can go through Raast. The digital system can also broaden the reach of financial support programs (e.g. the Ehsaas Emergency Cash program).
- Backstory: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborated to develop the system, with support from the World Bank, Britain, and the United Nations. Raast will reportedly be the first digital payment system to link govt entities and financial institutions. The system will roll out in three phases, with the final phase wrapping up in early 2022.
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