Today’s top Pakistan current affairs July 28, 2020. 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 receives $505m from the World Bank.
- Traders protest as Punjab govt imposes lockdown ahead of Eid.
- Pakistan Attempts To Convert Historic Lahore Gurdwara Into A Mosque, India Lodges Strong Protest.
- COAS attends Al Khalid 1 handing over ceromony in HIT – ISPR
- NAB approved to file reference against Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza and Salman Shahbaz
- WHO says COVID-19 pandemic is ‘one big wave’, not seasonal
- Iran buys six “Caspian Sea Monster” ekranoplans from Russia
- ECC approves mechanism to change petroleum prices after 15 days. Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meeting headed by Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Tuesday approved a recommendation for regulating petroleum prices in the country after every 15 days.
- Rain holds up England as West Indies ponder Wisden Trophy escape plan
- Wahab Riaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed in 20-man Pakistan squad for England Tests
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 1,176 new cases and 20 deaths in the last 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 22,056 tests in the span of 24 hours.
- Punjab reported zero COVID-19 linked deaths for the first time since May.
- Pakistan reported its lowest number of COVID-19 linked deaths in three months, specifically an 87% decrease in deaths.
- The Punjab govt imposed a “smart lockdown” from midnight till August 5 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during Eid ul Azha. All retail shops, markets, shopping malls, educational institutions, marriage halls, business centers, expo halls, restaurants, amusement parks, play areas, beauty salons, spas, cinemas, sports clubs, and theatres will remain closed. There is also a complete ban on public and private gatherings (i.e. social and religious).
- While addressing the nation, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan urged people to proceed with caution during Eid ul Azha and Muharram. He doesn’t want people to be negligent just because COVID-19 cases are reportedly falling.
2. A short stint as Deputy Commissioner in Karachi
What’s going on? Do you remember when the younger brother of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, was appointed Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Karachi’s Central District? That was only a few days ago. Things have changed pretty quickly since then. The federal govt transferred Fazal’s brother, Zia-ur-Rehman, back to his previous post in KP.
The details: The KP govt said it wanted Rehman back because it doesn’t have enough officers. Rehman was an officer of KP’s Provincial Management Service before his new gig as DC in Karachi. Rehman got transferred to Sindh after his big bro, Fazal, met Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, and PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Opposition parties in Sindh criticized the decision to appoint Rehman as DC of a key district in Karachi due to his lack of administrative experience in the province. The Sindh govt defended its decision, saying that Rehman worked in an administrative position in KP, and he’ll be doing the same in Sindh.
The bottom line: Rehman’s brief posting as DC in Karachi’s Central District sounded the alarm for political nepotism (i.e. the Sindh govt’s alleged move to make Fazal happy so the upcoming All Parties Conference can be a success).
3. Pakistan’s gold rush
Gold prices surged to a historic high after crossing PKR 123,800 per Tola. Gold is considered a safe investment because of its long term value and ability to hedge against risk. Gold is having its moment amid economic uncertainty. Gold prices often rise when investors are feeling nervous, and they want a safe place to put cash.
4. Teaching licenses become mandatory
5. Heavy rains ‘could have been worse’
The Sindh govt appears to be feeling powerless against heavy rains flooding Karachi. Sindh Minister for Information and Local Govt, Nasir Hussain Shah, said human beings can’t control natural calamities. While admitting that the situation is not 100%, he defended the provincial govt’s efforts to tackle excess flooding. He added that things could have been worse if the local govt hadn’t cleaned storm-water drains in time. Residents are voicing their frustration on social media. One video also shows volunteers from the Al-Khidmat Foundation rescuing a group of young girls stuck in several feet of rainwater. On Monday, three people died after being electrocuted in rain-related incidents. Five people already died in other rain-related incidents on Sunday.
MARKET RECAP
The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 38,221.16 after rising 613.54 points as of July 27, 2020.
