World in Focus ( FEB-MAR 2021)

National & International

International

Feb. 16: Canadian singer-songwriter Raymond Levesque, whose 1956 classic “Quand les hommes vivront d’amour” was an international hit, died at the age of 92.
Feb. 16: Iran armed forces launched ‘Maritime Security Belt Exercise’, a joint naval drill with Russia in the north of the Indian Ocean.
Feb. 16: France’s lower house of parliament voted in favour of a law to battle ‘Islamist separatism’.
Feb. 18: NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on the surface of Mars after successfully overcoming a risky landing phase known as the “seven minutes of terror.”
The rover is only the fifth ever to set its wheels down on Mars. The feat was first accomplished in 1997 and all so far have been American. Perseverance now embarks on a multi-year mission to search for the bio signatures of microbes that might have existed there billions of years ago, when conditions were warmer and wetter than they are today. Starting from summer, it will attempt to collect 30 rock and soil samples in sealed tubes, to be eventually sent back to Earth sometime in the 2030s for lab analysis.
Feb. 18: Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on generals in Myanmar for human rights violations following the military takeover.
Feb. 18: Japanese athlete-turned-politician Seiko Hashimoto was chosen as president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising committee.
Feb. 19: In his address to the annual Munich Security Conference — held by video link because of the Covid-19 pandemic — US President Joe Biden declared the “transatlantic alliance is back”. Biden said traditional US allies should once again have confidence in Washington’s leadership.
Feb. 19: Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan permanently quit royal duties as Queen Elizabeth II ordered the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, to relinquish their honorary titles and patronages following the confirmation that they would not be returning as working royals.
Feb. 19: A US federal judge sentenced an American venture capitalist of Pakistan origin, Imaad Zuberi, to 12 years in prison for falsifying records to hide his work as a foreign agent while lobbying high-level US officials. He was also fined $1.75 million and ordered to pay $15.7 million in restitution.
Feb. 19: The United States officially rejoined the Paris Agreement a landmark international accord to limit global warming known.
Feb. 20: Barbora Krejcikova and Rajeev Ram won their second Australian Open mixed doubles title in three years.
Feb. 20: Japan’s Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open 2021 women’s title by defeating Jennifer Brady.
Feb. 21: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic thrashed Daniil Medvedev of Russia to claim a record-extending 9th Australian Open title.
Feb. 21: Sudan took the unprecedented but expected step of floating its currency, the boldest economic measure taken by the joint military-civilian government that has ruled the African country after a popular uprising.
Feb. 21: Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), met Iran’s atomic energy chief in Tehran, hours before a deadline set by the Islamic republic to limit inspections by the agency if US sanctions are not lifted.
Feb. 22: Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed.
Feb. 22: The United States crossed the staggering milestone of 500,000 Covid-19 deaths just over a year since the coronavirus pandemic claimed its first known victim in Santa Clara County, California.
Feb. 23: The Afghan warring sides returned to the negotiation table.
Feb. 23: Former Saudi oil minister Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, a key player behind the 1973 oil embargo, died aged 90.
About Sheikh Yamani
Yamani’s 24-year tenure running the oil affairs of the world’s biggest crude producer made him a global celebrity during the inflationary “oil shocks” of the 1970s. In 1973, he was a key player in OPEC’s decision to raise oil prices in protest at Israel’s occupation of Arab land seized in 1967, sparking a world economic crisis. He played a pivotal role in the nationalisation of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, led today by energy giant Aramco.
Yamani’s career was remarkable, for the time, as a commoner in a society dominated by the royal family. Born on June 30, 1930, the son of an Islamic scholar and judge in Makkah, Yamani was expected to follow his father and grandfather into teaching. After studying law in Cairo, he left for New York University and Harvard. Returning to Saudi Arabia, he set up a law firm and took on government work, drawing the attention of the future King Faisal. He became oil minister in 1962.
Feb. 23: Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of parliament after it was dissolved by the prime minister.
Feb. 23: Germany’s Catholic bishops elected a woman – Theologian Beate Gilles – as their general secretary for the first time.
Feb. 24: Amnesty International stripped the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny of his prisoner of conscience status because of past “advocacy of hatred” comments but vowed to still push for his release.
Feb. 24: Ghana became the first country to receive vaccines from the global Covax scheme.
Feb. 25: Chinese President Xi Jinping declared his country had achieved the “human miracle” of eliminating extreme poverty.
Feb. 25: Britain slapped sanctions on six members of Myanmar’s military junta, including commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing, for involvement in the recent coup.
Feb. 25: Australia’s Parliament passed the final amendments to the so-called News Media Bargaining Code that will force Google and Facebook to pay for news.
Feb. 26: The Security Council announced the adoption of a resolution calling for strengthened international cooperation to facilitate equitable and affordable access to Covid-19 vaccines in armed conflict and post-conflict situations, and during complex humanitarian emergencies.
Feb. 26: Britain’s highest court rejected a bid by Shamima Begum, a woman who was stripped of her UK citizenship for joining the militant Islamic State group, to return to challenge the decision.
Feb. 27: Myanmar’s UN ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun was fired, a day after he urged the United Nations to use “any means necessary” to reverse the February 1 military coup.
Feb. 27: Armenian President Armen Sarkisian refused to sign a prime ministerial order to dismiss the army’s chief of staff.
Feb. 27: Scottish Labour named Anas Sarwar, the son of Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, as their new leader.
Feb. 27: French Open champion Iga Swiatek crushed world number 12 Belinda Bencic in straight sets to claim the Adelaide International.
Feb. 27: The US House passed an enormous, $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
Feb. 28: A US federal judge gave final approval to Facebook’s $650 million payment to settle a privacy dispute between the California group and 1.6 million users in the US state of Illinois.
Feb. 28: A Soyuz rocket carrying Russia’s first satellite for monitoring the Arctic’s climate blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Feb. 28: The Arctic holds huge oil and gas reserves that are being eyed by Russia and other countries including the United States, Canada and Norway.
March 01: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption and handed a 3-year prison sentence.
March 01: Zimbabwe’s Vice President Kembo Mohadi resigned in the face of sexual misconduct allegations.
March 01: Mohamed Al Khaja, the first-ever ambassador from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, delivered his credentials to the Jewish state’s President.
March 01: ‘Nomadland’ made Golden Globes history as Chloe Zhao became the first female director to win the awards’ top prize for best drama.
March 01: A report, prepared by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) revealed that 62 percent of all civilian casualties were caused by the anti-government elements within Afghanistan while cross-border incidents attributed to forces in Pakistan caused less than two percent of civilian casualties in Afghanistan from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020.
March 01: A US naval destroyer USS Winston Churchill docked on Sudan’s Red Sea coast for first time in 30 years.
March 02: More than 200 billionaires were created in China last year as booming stock markets and a flood of new listings offset the ravages of the virus pandemic, according to a global tally.
March 02: Hundreds of girls, who were kidnapped from a boarding school in northwestern Nigeria, were freed.
March 04: The US President, Joe Biden, announced to nominate Pakistani-origin Dilawar Syed to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA).
March 04: The US think tank Freedom House issued its report, titled “Freedom in the World 2021 – democracy under siege,” which degraded India’s status as a free country to “partly-free”.
March 05: Communist Party of Nepal, an outlawed Maoist group which is accused of staging several attacks, signed a peace deal with Nepal’s communist government, bringing an end to the country’s only active insurgency.
March 05: Pope Francis began the first-ever trip by a pontiff to Iraq.
March 06: US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzadmet held talks with the Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Qatar.
March 06: Pope Francis held a historic meeting with Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.
March 06: More than 930 million tonnes of food sold in 2019 landed in waste bins, according to a recent UN research released in support of global efforts to halve food waste by 2030.
Produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organization WRAP, the Food Waste Index Report 2021 revealed that between food wasted in homes, restaurants and shops, 17 percent of all food is just dumped.
March 07: New Zealand clinched their Twenty20 series against Australia.
March 07: China’s export growth jumped to the highest in over two decades, official data showed.
Electronics and textile exports such as masks contributed to the spike in outbound shipments, as demand for work-from-home supplies and protective gear against the virus outbreak soared during the pandemic.
March 07: Swiss voters approved a ban on full facial coverings, including niqab and burqa, in nearly all public places.
March 08: Novak Djokovic set a new landmark of 311 weeks as world number one, one week longer than Roger Federer.
March 08: The United States and South Korea reached agreement in principle on a new arrangement for sharing the cost of the American troop presence, which is intended as a bulwark against the threat of North Korean aggression.
March 08: West Indies beat Sri Lanka in the third and final Twenty20 International to win the series 2-1.
March 09: Britain and Nigeria signed a deal to return £4.2 million ($5.82 million) recovered from a former governor of oil-rich Delta state, who served a jail term in London for fraud.
March 09: China launched a health certificate programme for domestic travellers, leading the world in plans for so-called virus passports.
March 09: President Joe Biden suspended drone strikes outside of war zones where US forces are operating.
March 10: International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach was re-elected for a second term.
March 10: The International Cricket Council put its chief executive Manu Sawhney on forced leave.
March 10: Armenia’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan appointed General Lieutenant Artak Davtyan the new chief of the military.
March 10: Libya’s parliament approved a unity government to lead the war-ravaged North African nation to December elections.
March 10: Russia’s X5 group, the country’s leading food retailer, announced the launch of a facial recognition payment system, the latest expansion of a technology that has sparked privacy and security concerns.
March 11: Malaysia’s government introduced a law that punishes spreading coronavirus misinformation with jail time and hefty fines.
March 11: The fifth annual democracy report by Sweden’s V-Dem Institute, titled ‘Autocratisation Goes Viral’, has downgraded India from “the world’s largest democracy” to an “electoral autocracy”, citing muzzling of the media, and overuse of defamation and sedition laws.
March 11: China’s parliament voted for sweeping changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system, including powers to veto candidates.
March 11: President Joe Biden signed his $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law.
March 11: The European Parliament adopted a resolution declaring the EU an ‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’ in a symbolic rejection of local authorities in Poland labelling themselves ‘LGBT ideology-free zones’.
March 12: France prepared to simulate an attack by a hostile power on one of its satellites in a war game scenario. The government said, it is less outlandishly futuristic than it may seem.
President Emmanuel Macron was to watch on site as his military chiefs started to play out a four-day sequence in which an unnamed space-capable power attacks a nation allied to France, and tries to take out a French communications satellite.
March 12: The first-ever meeting of the Quad leaders committed to deliver up to one billion coronavirus vaccine doses available to Asean, the Indo-Pacific and beyond by the end of next year.
March 12: Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who saw himself as the custodian of his people’s culture and was praised by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as a ‘visionary monarch’, died. He was 72.
March 12: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman dismissed Mohamed Benten as minister for the Haj and Umrah.
State minister, Issam ben Saeed, was appointed acting minister.
March 13: Bitcoin passed the $60,000 mark for the first time.
March 13: The United States approved the sale of $1.77 billion worth of Boeing spy jets to Germany.
March 13: The United States announced a resumption of aid to Yemen’s rebel-held north to fight a looming famine as the country’s nearly six-year-old war grinds on.
March 14: Kosovo officially opened its embassy in Occupied al-Quds after becoming the first Muslim-majority territory to recognise the city as Israel’s capital.
March 15: The 63rd Grammy music awards witnessed women winning big. Singer Beyonce won four awards to become the most decorated female artist in the event’s history, with 28 career wins.
March 15: Germany, France and Italy became the latest countries to suspend the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, though the company and European regulators have said there is no evidence the shot is to blame.
March 15: Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard inaugurated a new underground facility designated for missile storage.

National

Feb. 16: The biennial multinational maritime exercise Aman-2021, with 45 countries, including China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, the United States and Sri Lanka participating along with their fleets, culminated in the Arabian Sea.
Feb. 16: President Arif Alvi conducted the International Fleet Review, packing up the week-long multinational naval exercises Aman-21 hosted by the Pakistan Navy.
The Aman-21, which consisted of the harbour and the Sea Phase coordinated and honed different tactics and doctrines of anti-piracy strategies by the navies of the 45 countries participating.
Feb. 16: The PPP retained both its provincial assembly seats in Karachi and Sanghar in by-polls.
Feb. 16: Pakistan and IMF authorities reached a staff level agreement on revised macroeconomic framework and structural targets after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and completed the pending second to fifth reviews under the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
Feb. 16: Chairman NEPRA, Mr Tauseef H. Farooqi launched K-Electric’s women ambassador programme “Roshni Baji”.
Feb. 16: The government of Punjab and European Union (EU) agreed to constitute a working group for expanding bilateral cooperation.
Feb. 16: Islamabad High Court (IHC) tossed out the construction of the chambers built for lawyers on a sports ground in the federal capital’s F-8 area.
Feb. 16: The Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir grilled the regional head of social media platform Twitter, George Salama, for silencing voices of thousands of Kashmiri and Pakistani activists projecting the plight of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Feb. 16: Former judge of the Supreme Court Muhammad Ilyas passed away.
Feb. 17: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi called on the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in Cairo.
Feb. 17: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan died.
Feb. 17: A sessions court sentenced former senator Yasmeen Shah to a prison term of two years in the fake degree case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on her.
Feb. 18: The family of Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara declared him and two other missing foreign climbers – Iceland’s John Snorri Sigurjónsson and Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto – dead.
Feb. 19: Pakistan and Tajikistan signed an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Feb. 19: Mohammad Anwar, a veteran leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), passed away.
Feb. 19: Incoming Commander US Centcom General Kenneth F McKenzie Jr called on Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa (COAS Gen Bajwa) at the General Headquarters (GHQ).
Feb. 19: COAS General Bajwa had a meeting with Russian Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov at the GHQ.
Feb. 20: The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League, kicked off in Karachi.
Feb. 20: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman de-notified Liaqat Khattak as minister for irrigation.
Feb. 20: The three-week long Pakistan-Turkey joint military exercise “ATATURK-XI 2021” concluded at Tarbela.
Feb. 22: Pakistan awarded a contract worth $85.6 million for modernising T-80UD battle tanks to Ukrainian state arms conglomerate UkrOboronProm.
Feb. 22: Pakistan announced that it will host World Environment Day 2021 in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
This year’s observance of WED will be on the theme of ‘ecosystem restoration’ and focus on resetting our relation with nature. It will also mark the formal launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021 – 2030.
Feb. 22: The Green Belt and Road Initiative Center released China BRI Investment Report 2020 which says overall Pakistan attracted more than 50% of renewable energy investments (47% of which in hydropower).
Feb. 23: Prime Minister Imran Khan (PMIK), while addressing a joint press conference with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa, said that Sri Lanka could enhance its connectivity up to the Central Asian States by benefiting from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Feb. 23: A bill against the corporal punishment of children in Islamabad was passed in the National Assembly.
Feb. 24: Khyber Pakthunkhwa cabinet approved two-year relaxation in the upper age limit of youth enabling them to appear in upcoming Provincial Management Service (PMS) examination.
Feb. 24: PMIK concluded his two-day official visit to Sri Lanka.
Feb. 24: Pakistan offered a $50 million new credit line to Sri Lanka for cooperation in the field of defence and security.
Feb. 25: MOU was signed among Daewoo Express Pakistan, Skywell from China and Hitachi ABB Power Grids from Sweden for introducing electric buses in Pakistan.
Feb. 25: The Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India agreed to restore peace by strictly observing agreements of ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and other sectors.
Feb. 25: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced to keep Pakistan on the grey list for another extended period till June 2021 and asked for complying with the remaining three outstanding points of total 27 action plans.
Feb. 25: The ECP declared the NA-75, Daska by-election as void and ordered fresh poll/re-poll in the entire constituency.
Feb. 25: All the candidates to 11 Senate seats from Punjab – seven general and two seats each reserved for women and technocrats – were elected unopposed.
Feb. 25: Pakistan formally joined the Madrid System to protect Pakistani trademarks in 124 member countries, making it easier and effective for brand owners to get protection in export markets.
Feb. 26: The most-sought-after and wanted terrorist Nooristan, alias Hassan Baba, was killed in Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in South Waziristan.
Feb. 26: Pakistan signed a new LNG deal for 10 years at 10.20 percent of Brent with price opening clause after four years. Under the contract, Qatar will provide Pakistan three million tons LNG for 10 years.
Feb. 26: Sri Lanka ended forced cremations of Muslims dying of coronavirus.
Feb. 26: PMIK laid the foundation stone of the ambitious Central Business District project at the Walton Airport site in Lahore.
Feb. 26: The Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the ban on Pakistan middle-order batsman Umar Akmal to 12 months but hit him with a hefty fine of Rs4.25 million for breaching the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Anti-Corruption code.
Feb. 27: Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore, Ghulam Mahmood Dogar, launched another new police unit Ababeel Squad to control street crime and law and order situation.
Feb. 28: Saim Shazli won the amateur title of the 20th Sindh Amateur Golf Championship.
Feb. 28: The federal government nominated new envoys to 10 important world capitals. The countries include Turkey, Australia, Spain, Canada, Djibouti, Switzerland, Portugal, Thailand, Iraq and the Netherlands.
Feb. 28: PMIK inaugurated the heritage trail at the Al Biruni point (Baghan Wala Village) at the Nandana Fort in district Jhelum.
March 01: Actor Ejaz Durrani, ex-husband of late Madam Noor Jehan and father of three of her children, passed away. He was 85.
March 01: A five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court (SC) gave its opinion on the presidential reference regarding the Senate elections, saying that polls would be held through the secret ballot, according to Article 226 of the Constitution.
March 01: Fourth International Pakistan Army Team Spirit Competition-2021 commenced at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Pabbi, near Kharian.
March 02: Pakistan and China kicked off year-long celebrations to mark the 70 years of the diplomatic ties between the Iron Brothers.
March 03: Former Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani won the Senate seat from Islamabad. Gilani got 169 votes against Sheikh’s 164.
March 04: Pakistan health authorities allowed vaccination of people above 60 years of age with Chinese vaccine Sinopharm as well as Russian vaccine Sputnik V.
March 04: The IHC ordered removal of name of former ISI chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani (retd) from the Exit Control List.
March 04: The HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 was postponed for an indefinite period.
March 04: An MOU was signed between National Assembly of Pakistan and Anthro Insights (AI) under which a two-year legislative effectiveness fellowship programme for women legislators will be conducted.
March 04: Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, arrived in Sri Lanka, to attend the 70th Anni­versary of Sri Lankan Air Force as a guest of honour.
March 04: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza during his official visit to Azerbaijan called on President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
March 05: Pakistan and the IMF agreed to revise downward the annual tax collection target of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in order to revive the stalled extended fund facility (EFF) programme.
March 05: Pakistan was elected to the chair of Committee on Trade & Development of the World Trade Organisation for 2021.
March 05: The KP government named the first-ever climbing wall built in the province after Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Pakistan’s iconic climber who lost his life while attempting K-2 winter summit recently.
March 06: The National Assembly expressed its confidence in PMIK, even giving him two votes more than what he had polled at the time of his election in 2018.
March 08: US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Commander Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General Austin Scott Miller called on COAS Gen Bajwa at the GHQ.
March 08: Nobel Peace Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai partnered with Apple Inc. to produce several new programmes including dramas, children series and documentaries that would air on the tech giant’s streaming service.
March 09: The KP government signed an agreement with a Chinese company for the construction of the 300-megawatt Balakot hydropower project.
March 09: The United States prevented Turkey from supplying 30 locally-made attack helicopters to Pakistan.
March 09: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved the appointment of Dr Tayyaba Zarif as first permanent Vice Chancellor of Government College University Hyderabad .
March 09: Renowned short story writer, retired deputy controller Radio Pakistan and lecturer at Fatima Jinnah University Mrs Shama Khalid breathed her last.
March 09: COAS Gen Bajwa held one-on-one meetings with Commander Bahrain Nation Guard Field Marshal Mohammed Bin Isa Al Khalifa and Bahrain National Security Advisor Major General Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa during his visit to Bahrain.
March 10: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser constituted the Council of Senior Parliamentarians to promote democratic and parliamentary norms across the party divide, to ensure an issue-based debate and avoidance of any sexist, religious or ethnic slogans during the proceedings.
March 10: Pakistan launched a coronavirus vaccination drive for the general public, starting with older people.
March 10: PMIK kicked off the government’s “Koi Bhooka Na Soye (no one must sleep hungry)” programme under which mobile food vans will roam major cities to distribute freshly cooked food to daily-wage workers.
March 10: A resolution was passed in the GB Assembly which says that Gilgit-Baltistan should be given the status of an interim constitutional province and be given representation in the National Assembly and other federal bodies.
March 10: COAS Gen Bajwa and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen Faiz Hameed attended a session on Afghan peace process in Bahrain.
March 10: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) re-imposed a number of restrictions that had been in force in the country prior to Feb 24.
March 11: President Dr Arif Alvi inaugurated the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air War College Institute in Karachi.
March 11: The membership of the Members of Sindh Assembly — Aslam Abro and Shahryar Khan — was revoked by the PTI standing committee on discipline and accountability.
March 11: PMIK directed the secretaries of all federal ministries to visit Balochistan province every month.
March 11: The PHC ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ban TikTok – the popular social media platform for entertainment videos – over proliferation of videos ‘spreading obscenity in society.
March 11: Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque said that telecommunication sector has been given the status of industry and it will enjoy the benefits at par with other industries.
March 12: The ruling coalition candidates Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani and Mirza Muhammad Afridi were elected Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate, respectively, defeating the joint opposition’s Yusuf Raza Gilani and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.
Mirza Mohammad Afridi, is the first parliamentarian from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas to occupy the coveted post in parliament.
March 12: Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Geoffrey Shaw called on COAS Gen Bajwa at GHQ.
March 13: PMIK approved establishment of the Civil Drone Authority of the country.
March 14: Well-known former Pakistani student Momin Saqib was named as a Commonwealth Youth Covid-19 Hero at the Commonwealth Youth Awards 2021.
March 15: The International Day to Combat Islamophobia was observed in Pakistan and other member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
March 15: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its latest report according to which China accounted for 61 percent of Pakistan’s arms imports in 2011-15 and for 74pc in 2016-20.
March 15: Nadir Magsi and talented Tushna Patel clinched the respective titles in the eighth edition of Hub Rally.
March 15: PMIK launched the countrywide olive cultivation drive in Nowshera district.

1. On Feb. 16, Pakistan and ______ authorities reached a staff level agreement on revised macroeconomic framework and structural targets.
(a) World Bank (b) IMF
(c) ADB (d) IsDB

2. The incumbent Chairman NEPRA is ______.
(a) Muhammad Ilyas
(b) Yasmeen Khan
(c) Tauseef H. Farooqi
(d) Rahat Konain

3. “Roshni Baji” is a women ambassador programme launched by ______.
(a) K-Electric (b) UNDP
© LESCO (d) UNEP

4. On Feb. 16, the government of Punjab and ______ agreed to constitute a working group for expanding bilateral cooperation.
(a) EU (b) China
(c) UNDP (d) Turkey

5. On Feb. 16, the Parliamentary Committee on ______ grilled the regional head of social media platform Twitter for silencing voices of thousands of Kashmiri and Pakistani activists.
(a) Foreign Affairs (b) Kashmir
(c) IT (d) Human Rights

6. George Salama is ______ Head of Public Policy, Government and Philanthropy for Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
(a) Facebook’s (b) Instagram’s
(c) Google’s (d) Twitter’s

7. A PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan died on _______.
(a) Feb. 17 (b) Feb. 18
(c) Feb. 19 (d) Feb. 20

8. On Feb. 18, Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara and two other missing foreign climbers – Iceland’s John Snorri Sigurjónsson and ______ Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto – were declared dead.
(a) Chile’s (b) Cuba’s
(c) Brazil’s (d) Argentine’s

9. On Feb. 19, Pakistan and ______ signed an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.
(a) Tajikistan (b) Uzbekistan
(c) Afghanistan (d) Azerbaijan

10. The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League, kicked off in Karachi on ______.
(a) Feb. 18 (b) Feb. 19
(c) Feb. 20 (d) Feb. 21

11. On Feb. 20, the three-week-long Pakistan-Turkey joint military exercise “Ataturk-XI 2021” concluded at ______.
(a) Thar (b) Cholistan
(c) Pabbi (d) Tarbela

12. On Feb. 22, Pakistan awarded a contract worth $85.6 million for modernising T-80UD battle tanks to ______ state arms conglomerate UkrOboronProm.
(a) Turkish (b) Ukrainian
(c) German (d) Russian

13. On Feb. 24, ______ cabinet approved two-year relaxation in the upper age limit of youth enabling them to appear in upcoming Provincial Management Service (PMS) examination.
(a) KP (b) Punjab
(c) Balochistan (d) Sindh

14. On ______, the Directors-General of Military Operations of Pakistan and India agreed to restore peace by strictly observing agreements of ceasefire along the Line of Control and other sectors.
(a) Feb. 25 (b) Feb. 26
(c) Feb. 27 (d) Feb. 28

15. On Feb. 25, the FATF announced to keep Pakistan on the grey list for another extended period till ______.
(a) May 2021 (b) June 2021
(c) Sept. 2021 (d) Oct. 2021

16. On Feb. 25, Pakistan formally joined the ______ to protect Pakistani trademarks in 124 member countries.
(a) Geneva Accord (b) Madrid System
(c) Vienna Protocol (d) WTO System

17. On Feb. 26, Pakistan signed a new LNG deal with —— for 10 years at 10.20 percent of Brent with price opening clause after four years.
(a) Azerbaijan (b) Qatar
(c) UAE (d) Kuwait

18. On Feb. 26, ______ ended forced cremations of Muslims dying of coronavirus.
(a) Bhutan (b) Nepal
(c) Japan (d) Sri Lanka

19. On Feb. 26, PMIK laid the foundation stone of the ambitious Central Business District project in ______.
(a) Islamabad (b) Karachi
(c) Lahore (d) Gwadar

20. Ababeel Squad, another new police unit to control street crime and law and order situation, has been launched in ______.
(a) Peshawar (b) Lahore
(c) Islamabad (d) Karachi

21. On Feb. 28, PMIK inaugurated the heritage trail at the Al Biruni point (Baghan Wala Village) at the Nandana Fort in district ______.
(a) Rawalpindi (b) Jhelum
(c) Gujrat (d) Chakwal

22. On ______, renowned actor Ejaz Durrani of famed Heer Ranjha, who was ex-husband of late Madam Noor Jehan, passed away at 85.
(a) Feb. 28 (b) March 01
(c) March 02 (d) March 03

23. On ______, Pakistan and China kicked off year-long celebrations to mark the 70 years of the diplomatic ties between the Iron Brothers.
(a) Feb. 27 (b) Feb. 28
(c) March 01 (d) March 02

24. Senate elections 2021 were held on ______.
(a) March 03 (b) March 04
(c) March 05 (d) March 06

25. On March 05, Pakistan was elected to the chair of Committee on Trade & Development of the ______, for 2021.
(a) UNDP (b) WTO
(c) ILO (d) WEF

26. On March 06, the National Assembly expressed its confidence in PMIK, even giving him ______ votes more than what he had polled at the time of his election in 2018.
(a) None (b) One
(c) Two (d) Three

27. On March 08, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai partnered with ______ to produce several new programmes.
(a) Apple Inc. (b) Google
(c) Netflix (d) CNN

28. On March 09, the KP government signed an agreement with a Chinese company for the construction of the 300-megawatt ______ hydropower project.
(a) Balakot (b) Hazara
(c) Kharot (d) Abbottabad

29. On March 09, the United States prevented ______ from supplying 30 locally-made attack helicopters to Pakistan.
(a) Turkey (b) UAE
(c) Germany (d) Qatar

30. Pakistan launched a coronavirus vaccination drive for the general public, starting with older people, on ______.
(a) March 09 (b) March 10
(c) March 11 (d) March 12

31. PMIK kicked off the government’s “Koi Bhooka Na Soye (no one must sleep hungry)” programme on ______.
(a) March 09 (b) March 10
(c) March 11 (d) March 12

32. On March 10, a resolution, presented by ______, was passed in the GB Assembly which says that Gilgit-Baltistan should be given the status of an interim constitutional province.
(a) Rahmat Khaliq (b) Khalid Khurshid
(c) Hafiz Hafeez (d) Amjad Hussain

33. On March 11, President Dr Arif Alvi inaugurated the PAF Air War College Institute in ______.
(a) Lahore (b) Islamabad
(c) Sargodha (d) Karachi

34. On March 11, PMIK directed the secretaries of all federal ministries to visit ______ province every month.
(a) Ex-FATA (b) Gilgit-Baltistan
(c) Gwadar (d) Balochistan

35. On March 12, the ruling coalition candidate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani was elected as Chairman of the Senate by securing —— votes.
(a) 48 (b) 49
(c) 50 (d) 51

36. On March 12, Mirza Muhammad Afridi was elected as Deputy Chairman of the Senate by securing —— votes.
(a) 48 (b) 49
(c) 54 (d) 55

37. In Senate Chairman election, the number of votes rejected due to ‘wrong’ affixing of stamp was ______.
(a) 4 (b) 5
(c) 6 (d) 7

38. PMIK approved the establishment of the Civil Drone Authority of the country on ______.
(a) March 10 (b) March 11
(c) March 12 (d) March 13

39. On ______, the International Day to Combat Islamophobia was observed in Pakistan and other OIC member countries.
(a) March 12 (b) March 13
(c) March 14 (d) March 15

40. According to the latest SIPRI report, ______ accounted for 61pc of Pakistan’s arms imports in 2011-15 and for 74pc in 2016-20.
(a) Turkey (b) United States
(c) Russia (d) China

1. On Feb. 16, Iranian armed forces launched ‘Maritime Security Belt Exercise’, a joint naval drill with ______ in the north of the Indian Ocean.
(a) Russia (b) China
(c) India (d) Afghanistan

2. On Feb. 16, ______ lower house of parliament voted in favour of a law to battle ‘Islamist separatism’.
(a) Germany’s (b) France’s
(c) Japan’s (d) Hungary’s

3. On Feb. 18, NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on the surface of Mars, becoming only the ______ ever to set its wheels down on the Red Planet.
(a) Third (b) Fifth
(c) sixth (d) Eighth

4. The United States officially rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement on ______.
(a) Feb. 19 (b) Feb. 20
(c) Feb. 21 (d) Feb. 22

5. On Feb. 20, ______ Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open 2021 women’s title by defeating Jennifer Brady.
(a) China’s (b) Japan’s
(c) Cuba’s (d) Venezuela’s

6. On Feb. 21, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic thrashed Daniil Medvedev of Russia to claim a record-extending 9th ______ title.
(a) Madrid Open (b) Wimbledon
(c) Australian Open (d) French Open

7. The current head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is ______.
(a) Rafael Grossi (b) Elena Buglova
(c) Mikhail Chakov (d) Malinda Vera

8. On Feb. 22, ______ ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed.
(a) Italy’s (b) Poland’s
(c) Belgium’s (d) Spain’s

9. Former Saudi oil minister Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, a key player behind the 1973 oil embargo, died on ______.
(a) Feb. 21 (b) Feb. 23
(c) Feb. 25 (d) Feb. 27

10. On Feb. 23, ______ Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of parliament after it was dissolved by prime minister KP Oli.
(a) Ethiopia’s (b) Maldives’s
(c) Nepal’s (d) Thailand’s

11. On Feb. 24, ______ stripped the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny of his prisoner of conscience status because of past “advocacy of hatred” comments but vowed to still push for his release.
(a) European Union
(b) Amnesty International
(c) Human Rights Watch
(d) World Economic Forum

12. On Feb. 24, ______ became the first country to receive vaccines from the global Covax scheme.
(a) Ghana (b) Sudan
(c) Mauritius (d) Ethiopia

13. On Feb. 25, ______ Parliament passed the final amendments to the so-called News Media Bargaining Code that will force Google and Facebook to pay for news.
(a) New Zealand’s (b) Australia’s
(c) France’s (d) Britain’s

14. Armen Sarkisian is the president of ______.
(a) Israel (b) Armenia
(c) Switzerland (d) Kosovo

15. On Feb. 27, Scottish Labour Party named ______ as its new leader.
(a) Alex Rowley (b) Anas Sarwar
(c) Drew Smith (d) Jackie Baillie

16. Baikonur cosmodrome is located in ______.
(a) Russia (b) Kazakhstan
(c) Tajikistan (d) Kyrgyzstan

17. Russia’s first satellite for monitoring the Arctic’s climate was launched on ______.
(a) Feb. 28 (b) March 01
(c) March 02 (d) March 03

18. Mohamed Al Khaja is ______ first-ever ambassador to Israel.
(a) Kosovo’s (b) UAE’s
(c) Morocco’s (d) Sudan’s

19. On March 04, President Joe Biden nominated Pakistani-origin ______ into his team to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
(a) Azfar Faheem (b) Dilawar Syed
(c) Yawar Jilani (d) Neelum Murad

20. Freedom House is an American think tank headquartered in ______.
(a) Washington DC (b) New York City
(c) Tampa (d) Los Angeles

21. On March 05, Pope Francis began the first-ever trip by a pontiff to ______.
(a) Syria (b) Iran
(c) Iraq (d) Lebanon

22. Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Sistani is the leading spiritual leader of ______ Shia Muslims.
(a) Syrian (b) Iranian
(c) Iraqi (d) Qatari

23. On March 07, ______ voters approved a ban on full facial coverings, including niqab and burqa, in nearly all public places.
(a) Hungarian (b) Polish
(c) Italian (d) Swiss

24. In tennis, ______ holds the record of being the reigning world number 1 for the longest time.
(a) Rafael Nadal (b) Pete Sampras
(c) Novak Djokovic (d) Roger Federer

25. On March 08, the United States and ______ reached agreement in principle on a new arrangement for sharing the cost of the American troops’ presence.
(a) South Korea (b) Denmark
(c) Germany (d) Japan

26. The world’s first health certificate programme for domestic travellers, leading the world in plans for so-called virus passports, has been launched by ______.
(a) Norway (b) Germany
(c) New Zealand (d) China

27. On March 10, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach was re-elected for a ______ term.
(a) Second (b) Third
(c) Fourth (d) Fifth

28. On March 10, the International Cricket Council put its chief executive Manu Sawhney of ______ on forced leave.
(a) India (b) Australia
(c) England (d) South Africa

29. President Joe Biden signed his $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law on ______.
(a) March 09 (b) March 10
(c) March 11 (d) March 12

30. On March 11, the European Parliament adopted a resolution declaring the EU an ‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’, in a symbolic rejection of ______ authorities who have labelled the country as ‘LGBT ideology-free zone’.
(a) Polish (b) Russian
(c) Norwegian (d) Chinese

31. On March 13, the United States approved the sale of $1.77 billion worth of Boeing spy jets to______.
(a) Germany (b) Pakistan
(c) India (d) UAE

32. On March 14, ______ officially opened its embassy in Occupied al-Quds after becoming the first Muslim-majority territory to recognise the city as Israel’s capital.
(a) UAE (b) Bahrain
(c) Kosovo (d) Morocco

33. The headquarters of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) is located in ______.
(a) London (b) Geneva
(c) Brussels (d) Rome

34. Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in located in ______.
(a) Bangkok (b) Srinagar
(c) Kuala Lumpur (d) Shanghai

35. ______ first modern lunar lander called “Luna 25” has been scheduled to launch on October 1, 2021
(a) China’s (b) Turkey’s
(c) Russia’s (d) india’s

36. The United States launched its first manned space flight following Russia in ______.
(a) May 1960 (b) May 1961
(c) May 1962 (d) May 1963

37. ______ Salda Lake, a mid-size crater lake which is located in the country’s southwest, is called ‘Mars on Earth.
(a) Russia’s (b) China’s
(c) Turkey’s (d) India’s

38. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) was initiated in August 2007 by the then Prime Minister of______.
(a) Australia (b) India
(c) Japan
(d) Malaysia

39. The capital of Canada is ______.
(a) Montreal (b) Vancouver
(c) Toronto (d) Ottawa

40. The statues of Bamiyan Buddha were broken into small pieces by Taliban in ______.
(a) 2001 (b) 2002
(c) 2003 (d) 2004