World in Focus

NATIONAL Jan 16: PM Imran Khan constituted an 8-member ministerial committee to negotiate a long-term Strategic Economic Framework arrangement with Turkey. Jan 16: The Supreme Court held the system of jirgas and panchayats in violation of Pakistan’s international commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Convention on the Elimination of All …

NATIONAL Dec 16: Pakistan was elected as the Vice President and the Rapporteur of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, at COP24 in Katowice, Poland. Dec 17: The opposition unanimously named JUI-F leader Advocate Malik Sikandar as the leader of opposition in the Balochistan Assembly. Dec 17: Chief of the Army Staff …

NATIONAL Nov 16: Pakistan’s first Austro Turf cricket stadium was inaugurated in Balochistan’s Chaman city. Nov 16: CPEC media forum, organised by the China Economic Net and Pakistan-China Institute, was held in Beijing. During the forum, lawmakers and opinion-makers from China and Pakistan called for joint efforts to highlight cooperation between the two countries and counter propaganda against the CPEC …

NATIONAL Oct 16: The Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht unveiled Rs238 billion Annual Development Programme (ADP) for 2018-19, which is 62.51% down from Rs635bn set by the previous government for preceding fiscal year. Oct 17: Pakistan slipped by one position in the Global Competitiveness Index 2018 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as compared to last year, ranking …

NATIONAL  Sep 16: British Pakistani boxer Muhammad Ali made history when he became the first boxer with type-one diabetes to win a professional fight. He defeated Andrej Cepur. Sep 16: Competing with 12,000 other contestants, a Pakistani student Zahra Hussain won an essay competition organized by the British Royal Commonwealth Society. She wrote on the topic ‘Hues of Red’. It …

NATIONAL  Aug 16: The PML-Q president, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, was elected the Punjab Assembly Speaker, for the second time after a gap of 20 years. Aug 16: PPP’s Syed Murad Ali Shah and PTI’s Mahmood Khan were elected as the chief ministers of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, respectively. Aug 17: The 15th National Assembly elected PTI’s Imran Khan as the …

NATIONAL July 16: The government formally launched a $205 million National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) to improve preparedness of institutions and strengthen infrastructure to mitigate risks arising out of natural disasters and minimize loss to public life and property. July 16: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved the grant of power generation license to Lahore Xingzhong Renewable …

NATIONAL June 18: The World Justice Project (WJP) issued its report for 2017-18, wherein it covered a total of 113 countries of the world. Among them, it listed Pakistan at number 107 in its evaluation of the country’s civil justice. However, it placed Pakistan at number 81 in its reckoning of this state’s criminal justice. June 19: Small Arms Survey …

NATIONAL May 16: Husain Lawai was elected as the chairman of Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited (PSX). May 16: The Exchange of Data Information (EDI) between Pakistan and China operationalized. Under the EDI, tax authorities of both countries would share imports and exports data through connected electronic software. May 16: Salman Badeni, the Balochistan chief of proscribed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was killed during …

NATIONAL Apr 16: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) declared Pakistan the largest country in the world to provide shelter to refugees. As per the UNHCR report, Pakistan continued to host the largest number of refugees in the world (1.45 million), nearly all from Afghanistan. Apr 16: The eight new members of AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider …