Today’s top Pakistan current affairs September 24,2020 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
- President Alvi promulgates Anti-Money Laundering Amendment Act 2020. President Dr Arif Alvi has promulgated the Anti-Money Laundering Amendment Act, 2020 and the new law has been implemented with immediate effect in Pakistan
- Elections in Gilgit-Baltistan on November 15: ECP. The Election Commission of Pakistan announced Wednesday that general elections in the country’s Gilgit-Baltistan region will be held on November 15, 2020.
- Pakistan’s CAA can’t issue pilots’ licences anymore. The International Civil Aviation Organisation has informed Pakistan’s CAA that it is no longer allowed to issue licences to pilots, crew or engineers.
- Foreign delegation to visit LoC today to get briefing over Indian ceasefire violations
- HEC Announces Fully-Funded Overseas Scholarships. Higher Education Commission (HEC) has invited applications from all over Pakistan, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), for fully-funded overseas scholarships for MS/MPhil and Ph.D. for Spring and Fall 2021.
- NEPRA increases power tariff by Rs1.62 per unit
- Bangladesh Christian Association demands end to persecution against Pak Christians
- Gold falls by Rs1,200 per tola in domestic market
- Australian cricket legend Dean Jones passes away in Mumbai
Spotlight by The NewsRun
1. COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN
- Pakistan reported 799 new cases and 5 deaths in the past 24 hours. Pakistan also conducted 33,744 tests in the span of 24 hours (P.S. this data was last updated on September 23 at 7:27am).
- On September 15, the govt allowed schools to reopen across the country in phases. Grades 9-10, plus colleges and universities, opened during phase one. Grades 6-8 resumed classes yesterday, during phase two. Pre-primary and primary classes are scheduled to resume on September 30, which will be phase three.
2. Violence against women rages on
What’s going on? A couple of weeks ago, nationwide protests broke out after two robbers raped a woman at gunpoint while she was traveling from Lahore to Gujranwala on the motorway. Since then, more cases of sexual assault and violence against women have emerged, relentlessly.
Clifton abduction and rape: Samaa.tv reported that a 22-year-old woman standing near a mall in Karachi’s Clifton area was waiting for a car when two men pulled up in a double cabin vehicle and kidnapped her. She said they took her to an apartment, where there was also a third man, and raped her on Monday night. In what appears to be a reference to the same case, Express Tribune reported that police identified the suspects, but haven’t arrested them yet. A police official suggested this might not be a kidnapping case, since the woman apparently got into the suspect’s car willingly.
More about Clifton: Dawn also reported that a woman was kidnapped and raped in Clifton on Monday night. She was waiting near the mausoleum of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. That’s when two men traveling in a Vigo reportedly kidnapped her, took her to their apartment in Clifton, and raped her. It is unclear if there are conflicting reports about a single rape incident in Clifton, or if there were two separate incidents since some of the details vary. For example, Dawn said the woman was leaving after finishing work at a Clifton market, while Samaa.tv said the woman went to the mall to eat with a friend, before the alleged kidnapping.
Suspected honor-killing: This also happened. A nine-year-old boy shot and killed his paternal aunt, Kanwal Parveen. Parveen’s marriage to someone of her choice reportedly upset her family, and they haven’t been on good terms. On September 14, Parveen’s family invited her to celebrate the birth of her nephew at their home, when her other nephew shot her. Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the boy and two other suspects who allegedly coerced him to carry out the killing.
The bottom line: Violence and sexual assault cases against women are piling up in an environment where activists are demanding protection for women, structural reform, and stronger law enforcement so perpetrators are held accountable.
3. Saudi Arabia to resume Umrah soon
Saudi Arabia plans to allow pilgrims inside the country to perform the annual Umrah pilgrimage starting on October 4, after a seven-month pause to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In March, Saudi Arabia declared a “freeze” on Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage that people can undertake any time of the year. However, capacity for the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina will be limited to 30% starting off, and gradually increase to 100% in November, when pilgrims from specific countries considered “safe” to perform Umrah will also be allowed. A mobile app will control entry to these sites. Worshippers will be required to wear face masks and practice social distancing.
- Backstory: Religious tourism is a major source of revenue for Saudi Arabia, which is why the country is trying to reduce limitations on visits to the two holy sites. Plus, there has reportedly been a decline in COVID-19 infections for three months.
4. When military leaders meet up with politicians
The Pakistan army’s media wing reported that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Mohammad Zubair, recently had two meetings with Army Chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief, Lt General Faiz Hameed, was reportedly at both meetings as well.
- The alleged meetings: Army spokesperson, Maj General Babar Iftikhar, claimed that Zubair talked about PML-N Supremo and former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, and Sharif’s daughter, Maryam, during these meetings. Iftikhar didn’t clarify what exactly they discussed regarding Sharif and Maryam. However, according to Iftikhar, Bajwa drove this point home: whatever legal issues Sharif and Maryam are dealing with will be solved in court, while political issues will be solved in parliament.
- Zubair’s response: Zubair claimed that he has personally known Bajwa for 40+ years, so there is nothing unusual about their meetings. Zubair insisted that he never approached Bajwa while PML-N was in a tough spot, or to talk about issues regarding Sharif. Zubair said he was simply briefing Bajwa on the economy and governance issues ‘as a friend.’ Zubair also clarified that ISI Chief Hameed wasn’t present during the first meeting, but came to the second meeting, even though he didn’t ask for Hameed to be there.
5. Pakistani actor receives Best Actor Award at Harlem International Film Festival
Veteran Pakistani actor, Khalid Ahmad, won Best Actor at the Harlem International Film Festival in New York for his role in the movie, Intezaar (i.e. waiting). The film’s director, Sakina Samo, was over the moon when she made the announcement on Instagram. While talking about his award, Ahmed said: “…this is the first acting award I’ve ever received in my whole life. I’ve never received a single award in Pakistan, so getting an international award is a great feeling.” The film will be available in Pakistan soon. You can watch the trailer here.
MARKET RECAP
The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 41,876.26 after rising 47.35 points (+0.11%) as of September 23, 2020.
Read More: [Quiz] GK & Pakistan Current Affairs Quiz 22 September 2020
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