Today’s top Pakistan current affairs October 29,2020 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
- Eid Miladun Nabi (SAW) being celebrated across country. Eid Miladun Nabi (S.A.W.) is being celebrated with great religious zeal and fervour across the country on Friday (today),
- Macron is very primitive in blaming religion of Islam, Muslims: Dr Mahathir. Malaysian ex-Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad sharing his views over the displeasure and hurt the French have caused the Muslims across the globe said he does not believe freedom of speech means you can insult people
- Mobile phone services to remain suspended in Quetta today. In an effort to avoid any untoward incident on Eid Miladun Nabi (S.A.W.), the Balochistan home department has decided to suspend mobile phone services in Quetta on Friday
- Peace in Afghanistan to benefit entire region: PM Imran. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that restoration of peace in Afghanistan would prove beneficial for the entire region
- 25,250 tons of imported sugar arrives in Karachi. A ship carrying sugar imported by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has arrived in Karachi
- Pakistan Cancels $1.5 Billion Defense Deal with French Company. Pakistan has reportedly rejected the $1.5 billion defense proposal from a French company amid constrained relations with France over Islamophobia.
- Strong Rupee Inches Closer to Reaching Another Milestone Against US Dollar. The rupee continued its appreciation against the US Dollar in the interbank market as it regained Rs. 1.11 against the greenback during the current week.
- Gold prices fall by Rs1,700 per tola in domestic market. Gold prices fell for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, declining by Rs 1700 to Rs 111,700 per tola in the domestic market,
- Pakistan to host bilateral hockey series, Asian tournaments. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has announced that the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has made commitment to organise bilateral series and regional tournaments in the country.
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 908 new cases and 16 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 29,449 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on October 29 at 7:54am).
- Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, said ‘the second wave of COVID-19 is here.’
- The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) told all provinces to make sure people wear face masks, especially in bazaars, shopping malls, public transport, and restaurants.
- The NCOC laid out more rules for cities where the COVID-19 positivity rate is above 2%, such as: mandatory face masks in crowded or confined spaces, smart lockdowns in virus hotspots, the closure of commercial activities by 10pm, and the closure of amusement/public parks by 6pm.
- Islamabad took the face mask requirement a step further, and announced that police can arrest anyone not wearing a mask in public spaces. This order will last for two months.
2. Peshawar seminary holds prayers after bomb attack
What’s going on? In order to show attackers they “weren’t defeated” staff members opened the Jamia Zuberia madrasa (i.e. Islamic school) in Peshawar for prayers hours after a bomb attack. Seminary workers washed the walls and mopped the floors after police finished collecting evidence.
The details: According to BBC, the blast reportedly killed eight students. More than 110 people were injured. Most of the madrasa’s students are in their early to mid-20s. As of now, no one has claimed responsibility for the blast, even though this is a suspected militant attack. The Pakistan Taliban already said ‘we didn’t do it.’
The context: The explosion took place during a class with Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, a senior cleric and instructor. Haqqani is an Afghan national from Jalalabad. His lecture was being live-streamed when the blast occurred. Haqqani might have been the target, but this is unconfirmed. He survived btw, and thinks the Islamic State militant group was trying to get him, again. Haqqani survived an assassination attempt in August 2016, and elements of the Islamic State might have been involved.
Looking ahead: Police have arrested 55 suspects. A special investigation team will interrogate the suspects.
The bottom line: Dawn quoted security sources, who said the bomb doesn’t look like something usual suspects (i.e. the Pakistan Taliban) would put together – this was a time bomb that looks way more sophisticated. According to the security sources, there’s a chance a new well-trained group was behind this attack.
3. Tax authorities seal mobile operator’s office
The Federal Board of Revenue’s Large Taxpayers’ Office in Islamabad sealed the office of Pakistan Mobile Communication Limited (a.k.a. Jazz), since it allegedly didn’t cough up income tax amounting to PKR 25.3 billion. According to a written order by the Deputy Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Ahmad Shakeel Babar, Jazz deliberately and dishonestly refrained from paying taxes. In response to the seal order, a company spokesperson said Jazz has made significant contributions to Pakistan’s economy for the past 25 years, and has also paid taxes “based on legal interpretations of the tax owed.” Jazz will review the situation and try to resolve the issue soon.
- Backstory: Jazz, formerly known as Mobilink, is a mobile network and internet services provider. A few years ago, Mobilink merged with Warid and changed its brand name to “Jazz.” Jazz has reportedly played an important role in developing Pakistan’s telecom industry. As of this year, Jazz has around 63 million subscribers, and over 40 million 3G and 4G data users. Basically, a lot of people rely on Jazz for their daily communications and connectivity.
4. You can’t withdraw your ambassador if you don’t have one
Pakistan’s National Assembly (NA) passed a resolution against caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in France. The resolution accused French President, Emmanuel Macron, of provoking anti-Muslim sentiments during a recent speech. The resolution also urged the govt to withdraw its envoy/
- Backstory: On October 16, history professor, Samuel Paty, was beheaded in a Paris suburb after showing his students caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during a discussion about the limits of free speech. The suspected assailant was an 18-year-old Russian national of Chechen origin. While speaking at a memorial service for 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.”
- In related news: #boycottfrenchproduct is trending on Twitter. Pakistanis on Instagram are also sharing posts about boycotting French products. Are you ready to give up your French perfumes, fashion brands, shampoos, biscuits, and drinks?
MARKET RECAP
The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 41,186.86 after dropping 194.97 points (-0.47%) as of October 28, 2020.
