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February 21, 2022: National Current Affairs MCQs
1. NA passes IMF-dictated finance supplementary bill
• Despite clearly lacking quorum, the National Assembly after a lackluster debate on February 20, 2023 passed the IMF-dictated Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023, seeking to impose additional Rs170 billion taxes with minor amendments as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar blamed the mismanagement in the power sector and poor economic policies of the previous PTI regime mainly responsible for this economic burden on the masses.
• In his winding up speech on the finance (supplementary) bill, generally known as the mini-budget, the minister informed the house that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) initially wanted the government to raise more than Rs800bn from tax and non-tax measures and that it took him and his team 10 days to convince the Fund to bring it down to the minimum level of R170bn.
• Before presentation of the bill in the parliament on Feb 15, the government had already implemented Rs115bn worth of taxes through two notifications issued on Feb 14. Now, after a formal assent by President Arif Alvi, the remaining Rs55bn tax measures would come into effect
2. Alvi goes solo, fixes April 9 for KP, Punjab polls
• In a controversial move that was condemned by the government as `unconstitutional and illegal`, President Dr Arif Alvi on February 20, 2023 fixed April 9 as the date for elections to the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
• The development came hours after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reaffirmed its decision not to consult the president on dates for elections to the two provincial assemblies.
• In a letter written to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, President Alvi said the date has been announced under Section 57(1) of the Elections Act. He asked the ECP to issue the election schedule in accordance with Section 57(2) of the Act.
• The president said that he was under oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution under Article 42 read with the third schedule of the Constitution
3. Guard injured as Pakistan, Afghan forces trade fire at Torkham
• Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged fire on the Torkham border on February 20, 2023, leaving a border guard injured.
• The Afghan Taliban on Sunday shut the border corssing, accusing Pakistan of reneging on its commitments.
• Irshad Momand, a district administration official in Landi Kotal told Dawn that Pakistan responded to `unprovoked` firing from the Afghan side.
• People living near the border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirmed that a heavy exchange of fire continued for over an hour
4. ADB okays $5m for Balochistan`s flood-affected areas
• The Asian Development Bank has approved emergency assistance of $5 million for climate resilient seeds for staple crop cultivation, and women-led livelihood to meet basic household needs in flood-hit areas of Balochistan.
• The ADB financing will support rural farm households in four districts of Nasirabad division.
• The most flood-impacted area in Balochistan is Nasirabad division, which has six districts: Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Kacchi, Nasirabad, Sohbatpur, and Usta Muhammad.
• The aid will provide 60,000 out of a total of 188,000 households in the target districts with climate-resilient rice seed. The seeds will be sown on 54,000 hectares in the province
5. North Korea uses Pacific as `firing range`, fires two more missiles
• North Korea launched two more ballistic missiles off its east coast on February 20, 2023, with the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un saying Pyongyang`s use of the Pacific as its `firing range` would depend on the behaviour of US forces.
• The launches come just two days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea off Japan`s west coast, prompting the United States to hold joint air exercises with South Korea and separately with Japan on Sunday.
• North Korea`s state media confirmed it fired two projectiles from a multiple rocket launcher, aiming at targets 395 km and 337 km away, respectively.
• `The 600mm multiple rocket launcher mobilised in the firing… is a means of tactical nuclear weapon,` capable of `paralysing` an enemy airfield, state news agency KCNA said
