Today’s top Pakistan current affairs November 27,2020 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
- ADB Approves $300m Loan For Pakistan to Enhance Trade Competitiveness. The Asian Development Bank will provide Pakistan a loan of 300 million dollars to enhance trade competitiveness and diversification to improve exports.
- Pakistanis join final trials for China-made Covid-19 vaccine. Thousands of volunteers are flocking to research hospitals across Pakistan to join final-stage clinical trials of a Chinese-made vaccine for the coronavirus.
- New oil and gas reserves discovered in Balochistan’s Musakhel district. The Oil & Gas Development Company Limited confirmed on Friday the discovery of new oil and gas reserves in Balochistan’s Musakhel district.
- Pakistan Steel Mills sacks over 4,500 employees. The Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) has sacked over 4,500 employees as part of a cost reduction exercise.
- Iran says nuclear scientist killed in attack. Iran said one of its most prominent nuclear scientists was assassinated on Friday in an attack on his car outside Tehran that it accused arch foe Israel of being behind.
- Gold prices increase by Rs350 per tola in domestic market. The per tola gold price witnessed an increase of Rs350 to Rs110,650 in the domestic market on Friday
- Argentina footballing legend Diego Maradona laid to rest. footballing legend Diego Maradona was laid to rest following an emotional ceremony in Buenos Aires which at times descended into chaos.
- New Zealand beat West Indies in first T20I. New Zealand registered a five-wicket win over West Indies under the DLS Method in the first T20I in Auckland on Friday.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 3,113 cases and 54 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 43,214 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on November 27 at 8:04am).
- Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has COVID-19. So far, he has mild symptoms. In a tweet, Bhutto urged people to wear masks, and said he’ll be working from home.
- Six members of the Pakistan cricket team, who are currently in New Zealand for a tour, tested positive for COVID-19. According to New Zealand’s ministry of health, all 53 members of the traveling group, including players and staff, tested negative four times before leaving Lahore. All of them were tested again when they arrived on November 24. This is when the positive test results showed up. There are indications that two of the six COVID-19 cases are “historical,” meaning, not new cases. The entire team has been told to stay in their rooms. The team temporarily can’t train while in isolation either. However, some team members got a “final warning” for breaching isolation rules.
2. Cabinet committee approves anti-rape laws
What’s going on? This week, the federal cabinet approved, in-principle, two anti-rape ordinances. Most media coverage didn’t get into the specifics, and details about the proposed laws were kind of scattered. The ordinances are supposed to expand the definition of rape, and recommend exemplary punishment for rapists. We want to end the week with another breakdown of this legislation, now that the Cabinet Committee on Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) has approved the anti-rape ordinances. Law Minister Farogh Naseem chaired the CCLC meeting.
Summing up the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance:
- Special courts, with special prosecutors.
- District police officers will lead a joint investigation team.
- Commissioners or deputy commissioners will head anti-rape crisis cells to speed up the registration of complaints, medical exams, and forensic analysis.
- No more controversial two-finger hymen test (i.e. virginity test).
- In-camera trials.
- A system to protect witnesses and rape survivors.
- Limits on who can cross-examine the rape survivor (i.e. only the judge and accused person’s lawyer).
- Legal support for survivors via the Legal Aid and Justice Authority
- A pro bono special committee to make sure these laws are being enforced.
- The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will maintain a registry of sex offenders.
- A public reporting mechanism (P.S. details about how this mechanism will work are unclear).
Summing up the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance:
- Here is how Section 375 of the Pakistan penal code currently defines rape: A man has committed rape if he has sexual intercourse with another woman under certain circumstances (e.g. against her will, without her consent, with her consent after she’s been threatened, with or without her consent when she’s under 16-years-old). Under the new ordinance, the definition of rape is supposed to consider women of all ages and male victims under 18. The law will also address gang-rape. According to a previous report, the ordinance will even expand the definition of rape to protect transgenders.
- Repeat offenders are more likely to be punished with chemical castration “as a form of rehabilitation, with consent.” It sounds like culprits can opt-in to be chemically castrated for their own good? This chemical castration can also be for life, or temporary. For now, the terms of this punishment are all over the place.
- Death by hanging (but not in public, sorry Prime Minister). Under a September 15th post on Womanistan’s Instagram page, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman claimed, “There is already a death penalty for rape. Public hangings are not a deterrent.”
Looking ahead: The ordinances still have a long way to go, and new details might emerge as the laws travel through the federal cabinet, the president, and parliament. The federal cabinet has to give its final approval. Then, the president has to promulgate the ordinances. Parliament also has to approve the ordinances.
The bottom line: Rape is already a criminal offense in Pakistan, which is punishable by death or imprisonment. The new ordinances are trying to make laws against rapists even tougher, and improve the process of arresting rapists or sexual abusers.
3. Human rights organizations condemn attacks on Ahmadis
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists, asked Pakistan to “urgently and impartially” investigate a surge in violence against the minority Ahmadi community. These human rights organizations want authorities in Pakistan to take appropriate legal action against those who are threatening and attacking the minority religious community. This joint statement came a few days after a Muslim teenager opened fire on a group of Ahmadis gathering to worship at a home in Punjab’s Nankana Sahib district. The shooter killed a doctor, Tahir Mahmood, and wounded three others (i.e. Mahmood’s father and two uncles). The teenager said he fired at the group for “insulting Islam.”
- Backstory: Pakistan’s parliament declared Ahmadis non-Muslim in 1974. Ahmadis are not allowed to “indirectly or directly pose as Muslims.” There is widespread discrimination against Ahmadis in the country. Saleem Uddin, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Ahmadi community, claimed that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s govt has failed to protect Ahmadis. Since July 2020, Ahmadis have reportedly been targeted in at least five attacks.
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