Today’s top Pakistan current affairs October 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
- Seven killed, 70 injured in blast at Peshawar madrassah. At least seven people were killed and 70 others injured in a powerful blast at a madrassah in Peshawar’s Dir Colony on Tuesday morning, police and rescue officials said.
- PM ‘deeply’ saddened by the terrorist attack on Peshawar madrassah. Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed deep sadness over today’s terrorist attack on a madrassh in Peshawar’s Dir Colony.
- India’s arms’ expansion serious threat to regional stability: FO. Pakistan on Tuesday warned that the US-India Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) will have serious repercussions for peace and stability in South Asia
- Identity parade of Lahore motorway gang rape suspects Abid Malhi held. The process of the identity parade of a prime suspect in the Lahore motorway gang rape case, Abid Malhi, was completed on Tuesday
- Gold prices down Rs770 per tola. The per tola gold price witnessed a decrease of Rs770 to Rs114,500 in the domestic market on Tuesday
- Pakistan not to recognize Israel says UN envoy Munir Akram. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to United Nations (UN) Munir Akram on Tuesday said that Pakistan is not a weak state to recognize Israel as a nation
- Umrah pilgrimage: Pakistan starts accepting applications under new regulations. Pakistan has announced accepting applications from the nationals for Umrah pilgrimage from November 1 – 2020 under the new regulations
- Pakistan to reduce the sentence of prisoners on Eid Miladun Nabi. The federal cabinet has approved a reduction in the sentence of prisoners on the event of Eid Miladun Nabi.
- PCB confirms South Africa’s Tour to Pakistan. Pakistan’s tour of South Africa has been rescheduled for April 2020, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced in a statement on Tuesday.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
- COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 773 new cases and 6 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 27,133 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on October 27 at 7:18am).
2. Pakistan condemns “blasphemous” French caricatures
What’s going on? Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a resolution condemning “blasphemous” caricatures in France. These caricatures depicted Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Pakistan’s Foreign Office summoned the French ambassador, Marc Barety, to protest against the “blasphemous” sketches and French President, Emmanuel Macron.
What did President Macron do? Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan already accused President Macron of encouraging Islamophobia. He was referring to some comments President Macron made while speaking at a memorial service for history professor, Samuel Paty. President Macron said France would not “give up” the caricatures. He also said Paty was killed because “Islamists want our future…they will never have it.”
Tell me more: 47-year-old Paty was beheaded in a Paris suburb on October 16. The suspected assailant, Abdoullakh Anzorov, was an 18-year-old Russian national of Chechen origin. Azarov was reportedly angry that Paty showed his students caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during a discussion on the limits of free speech. Paty asked students who might find the cartoons offensive to look away. The caricatures were from the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, which was already targeted in a terrorist attack five years ago.
The resolution urged Pakistan’s govt to:
- Recall Pakistan’s envoy in Paris.
- Work on an “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
- Ask other OIC countries to boycott French goods.
The resolution urged non-OIC countries to: Give Muslims living in their territories effective legal avenues to share their grievances.
The resolution urged the United Nations (UN) to: Initiate global dialogue to support inter-faith harmony and challenge rising Islamophobia.
The bottom line: The govt and opposition members wrote their own resolutions, before eventually agreeing on one resolution. Despite the opposition-led anti-govt movement, opposition members and the federal govt are collectively outraged over the issue of blasphemy in France, and President Macron.
3. Pakistan’s first metro train service is open
The Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) in Lahore is officially open to passengers after years of delays. This is reportedly Pakistan’s first-ever electric urban transit train. The metro line has more than two dozen stations. It will reportedly cut travel time and traffic congestion across the city. Around 250,000 people are expected to use the service daily. During the inauguration ceremony, Punjab Chief Minister, Usman Buzdar, said the metro train will provide “international standard transport to citizens.” He didn’t miss an opportunity to make a dig at the former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) govt. While speaking, CM Buzdar said the current Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) govt is pretty good at “completing the projects of previous govt.”
- Backstory: The OLMT was built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC is a part of China’s overarching Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect the economies of Asia, Africa, and Europe through massive infrastructure projects. In the past, people protested against the OLMT, claiming it would damage numerous heritage sites like the Shalimar Gardens. More than 600 trees were reportedly cut down to make room for the transit route. The project cost PKR 300 billion (i.e. $1.8 billion).
4. Blast in a Peshawar seminary
At least seven people were killed, and more than 70 injured, in an explosion at a seminary in Peshawar’s Dir Colony. The blast took place during a Quran class. Initial police reports suggest an improvised device caused the blast.
MARKET RECAP
The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 41,850.47 after rising 584.47 points (+1.42%) as of October 26, 2020. Cement stocks reportedly did pretty well, and gave the index a boost. There is a growing demand for cement due to an increase in construction work. Investors were also relieved to hear that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) was keeping Pakistan on its ‘grey list’ (i.e. the watch list for terrorism financing and money laundering), which means Pakistan is safe from the FATF’s ‘blacklist’ for now.
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