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March 19, 2022: National / International Current Affairs
1. PM turns down summary on governor`s rule
• The government ruled out the possibility of governor`s rule in Sindh on March 18, 2022 but said it will petition the Supreme Court to seek a ruling on whether PTI defectors could lose their seats ahead of a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
• The prime minister has also called a meeting of the PTI political committee today(Saturday) to review the fast changing political situation in the country and contemplate the issue of PTI dissidents.
• Sources in Prime Minister Office told Dawn that Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed presented a summary regarding the imposition ofgovernor`s rule in Sindh during a PTI parliamentary committee meeting on Friday
2. Neutrality in Ukraine war to safeguard Pakistan`s interests: FO
• The Foreign Office on March 18, 2022 said Pakistan`s neutrality in Ukraine war was aimed at safeguarding its interests.
• At the weekly media briefing, FO spokesperson Asim Iftikhar, while defending the government`s position on the Russia-Ukraine war, said it was `driven by the imperative of protecting the country`s vital interests`.
• He explained that the decision taken by the government in Ukraine`s case was because of its policy about not becoming part of bloc politics. `We have underlined that Pakistan will only be a partner in peace, not in conflict,` he further said.
• Pakistan has been emphasising on resolving the dispute through dialogue and diplomacy. It, moreover, abstained during voting in the United Nations General Assembly on a resolution calling on Russia to end the war
3. Next IMF tranche hangs in the balance
• While a staff mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised more questions over the financing of a relief package announced by the prime minister last month, Pakistan may not be able to draw the next tranche of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for over a month.
• In a televised address to the nation at the end of February, PM Imran Khan had announced a reduction ofRs10 per litre in petrol/diesel and Rs5 in electricity prices. He further claimed the rates would remain stable until the next federal budget.
• Official sources told that the IMF mission and Pakistani authorities remained engaged in discussions on the seventh review of the Fund programme, and decided to meet again on Monday. The sources said a final round of policy-level talks between Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and the Fund mission was being scheduled for Tuesday
4. Pakistan to recognise Taliban regime after regional consensus
• Pakistan will recognise the Taliban regime in Kabul when there`s a consensus, particularly of regional countries, on the issue, says Islamabad`s UN envoy Munir Akram.
• The question of recognition resurfaced on Thursday when the UN Security Council voted to establish formal ties with the Taliban-run Afghanistan without extending diplomatic recognition to the regime. Fourteen of the council`s 15 members voted for the resolution while Russia abstained.
• Russian Ambassador Vassily A. Nebenzia said he was compelled to abstain because attempts to secure consent from the host country for a UN presence were ignored
5. UNHCR donates equipment to Quetta hospital
• The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has donated a CT scan machine, oxygen plant, 400 KVA generator and solar panels to Fatima Jinnah General and Chest Hospital in Quetta.
• The CT scan machine will improve the diagnosis of chest and lungs diseases and it will also help in the research work of the hospital.
• UNHCR Pakistan`s Deputy Representative Tammi Sharpe, Head of UNHCR in Quetta Erwin Dela Cruz Policar and Balochistan Minister for Health Syed Ehsan Shah were present at the ceremony to hand over the equipment.
