Today’s top Pakistan current affairs March 01, 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
- OGRA notifies increase in LPG price for March. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Monday notified Rs1.84 per kilogram increase in the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for the month of March
- Pakistan Army team spirit competition 2021 kicks off. The 4th International Pakistan Army Team Spirit Competition 2021 commenced at the National Counter-Terrorism Center Pabbi near Kharian on Monday.
- KP Assembly demands blue passports for MPAs. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly adopted unanimously on Monday a resolution seeking issuance of official blue passports to all the members of the provincial legislature.
- Matric, intermediate educational boards in Punjab yet to issue an exam schedule. Nine matric and intermediate education boards in Punjab province have yet not issued an exam schedule, putting the future of around 4 million students at stake
- Pakistan-Turkey freight train to resume operations after nine years. In a major development, operations of a freight train between Pakistan and Turkey will be resumed on 4th of March after a pause of over nine years
- Punjab announces a new academic calendar for educational institutions. The Punjab education department on Monday made an announcement regarding the new academic session for the year 2021-22
- February records 58pc jump in tomato prices, power units hike 29pc. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has Monday released the monthly inflation numbers for the outgoing February noting a 1.8 percent jump in consumer price index based on Month-on-Month comparison
- Gold prices rise in the domestic market. Gold prices went up to Rs92,839 per 10 grams on Monday in the domestic market, showing a rise of Rs161 from Saturday
- United, Gladiators match postponed after player tested positive for coronavirus. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the 12th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 has been postponed till Tuesday, March 02, 2021.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- 24-hour count: Pakistan reported 1,392 new cases and 36 deaths in 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 38,338 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on March 1 at 7:20am).
2. Pakistan is on team Saudi Arabia
What’s going on? The administration of US President Joe Biden released a declassified intelligence report, which assessed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) approved an operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, the Saudi foreign ministry rejected the report.
The details: Khashoggi was a journalist with the Washington Post. He was also known to be a critic of the Saudi royal family. In 2018, he was assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Tell me more: US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, approved travel bans on other Saudi officials, like the former intelligence chief, and Saudi Arabia’s Rapid Intervention Force. According to the intelligence report, the Rapid Intervention Force spearheaded the operation against Khashoggi – this same unit is under MBS’s direct control.
Will there be consequences? Even with the intelligence report’s findings, the US govt appears hesitant to directly punish MBS. Biden’s aides said MBS wouldn’t be invited to the US “anytime soon.” However, there is no mention of specific sanctions or travel restrictions against MBS.
The context: Saudi Arabia is a key geopolitical ally. Let’s look at this from a business point of view as well. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (i.e. sovereign wealth fund) has invested in some US-based tech giants. For instance, the investment fund has one of the largest stakes in ride-hailing company, Uber (i.e. roughly a 4% stake worth around $3.4 billion). The investment fund also has 39,000 shares of the electric car maker, Tesla. On top of all that, Saudi Arabia is reportedly the world’s largest oil exporter.
Something to know: Saudi Arabia’s king is 85-years-old and in poor health. MBS is pretty much Saudi Arabia’s de-facto leader, and next in line to the throne. Bans against sitting world leaders are apparently rare, especially when those leaders are allies. If MBS does become king at some point, and the US has imposed sanctions on him, US-Saudi relations could get complicated.
Pakistan’s response: In a statement, Pakistan’s foreign office said Saudi Arabia already called Khashoggi’s murder an “abhorrent crime.” According to the foreign office, Pakistan recognizes Saudi Arabia’s efforts to investigate the incident and convict people who were responsible. The foreign office went on to say that Pakistan “expresses solidarity” with Saudi Arabia.
Quick recap of Pak-Saudi relations: Last year, Pakistan accused Saudi Arabia of not doing enough to help with the Kashmir issue. Pakistan repeatedly accuses India’s govt of oppressing Kashmiris in India-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan and India both claim Kashmir in full, but only control parts of it. In return, Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan to repay $3 billion in loans.
The bottom line: From what the public can see, it looks like the US isn’t holding MBS accountable for his role in Khashoggi’s death. Pakistan also seems to be tip-toeing around the issue to rebuild its bumpy relationship with Saudi Arabia.
3. Media regulator serves notice to TV drama series
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) sent a notice to entertainment channel, TV One, due to a drama series airing on its platform. The controversial series titled, “Dil Na Umeed To Nahin,” is trying to raise awareness about prostitution, human trafficking and child abuse. The notice told TV One to change the drama’s content so it’s in line with PEMRA’s code of conduct. Actor Omair Rana, who stars in the series, said it’s important to highlight the “vile” elements in our society, even if they’re “ugly.” Actress, Simi Raheal, also had some strong feelings about PEMRA’s notice, which she shared on Instagram.
4. Reported attack on politician’s house
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader, Palwasha Khan, claimed that five “goons” attacked her house on Friday evening. She said some (unspecified) people are feeling threatened by her, since she’s running in the Senate election. Khan said she won’t be intimidated. She’s currently PPP’s Deputy Information Secretary. She has been nominated as PPP’s candidate for the upcoming Senate election along with other women leaders from the party.
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