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October 23, 2018: National Current Affairs
1. Swat back in civilian control after a decade
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan has said that a durable peace has prevailed in Swat district and the civilians are capable of running the administrative powers, including security.
- He was speaking at a ceremony held at Saidu Sharif airport in Kabal tehsil on October 22, 2018 for transferring the powers of the district to the civil administration of Swat.
- The Pakistan Army had taken control of the administration of the militancy-hit Swat valley a decade ago when Taliban militants challenged the writ of the government and spread terror in the valley in the name of Islam and Sharia.
- Peshawar corps commander Lt Gen Nazir Butt, KP Inspector Gener al of Police Salahuddin Khan Mehsud, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malakand Lt Gen Khalid Saeed, members of the national and provincial assemblies, Malakand commissioner Zaheerul Islam, Swat Deputy Commissioner Saqib Raza Aslam and a large number of elders of Swat attended the ceremony.
2. Pakistan, Russian troops begin annual drills
- Pakistani and Russian troops began on October 22, 2018 the third edition of their annual joint drills codenamed `Druzhba(Friendship)-III`.
- A 70-member contingent of the Russian troops is participating in the drills being held at the National Counter-Terrorist Centre in Pabbi. The exercises will continue till Nov 4.
- The ISPR had announced the arrival of the Russian contingent, saying it was here to participate in the Pak-Russia Joint Training Exercise `Druzhba-III`.
- The drills are being held since 2016 when Pakistan hosted the first edition.
- The second edition washeld in Russia. The purpose of the wargames is to strengthen cooperation between militaries of the two countries and exchange professional experience, particularly in the field of counterterrorism.
- Defence relations between Pakistan and Russia have steadily grown since the two countries signed their defence cooperation agreement in 2014.
3. Pakistan warns of aggressive campaign against India over IWT violations
- Amid dillydallying by India to facilitate a promised visit of Pakistani officials to the sites of its two hydropower projects 1,000MW Pakal Dul and 48MW Lower Kalnal Pakistan on October 22, 2018 said it would launch an aggressive campaign to address its concerns over violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) by India.
- `We do not foresee an inspection visit of (the two projects being executed by India over)Chenab River in the near future based on my telephonic discussions with my Indian counterpart,` said Pakistan`s Commissioner on Permanent Indus Water Commission Syed Mehr Ali Shah.
- The Indian water commissioner had promised on conclusion of the Aug 29-30 annual meetings to arrange a visit on Indian side of the Chenab River in the last week of September, but it was delayed to Oct 7-12 on the premise of local government elections in India-held Kashmir.
- The Indian side did not honour its revised schedule as well, saying Panchayat elections were being held in held Kashmir after 20 years. Mr Shah said he wrote a letter of disappointment and then talked to his counterpart a few days ago on phone and based on that discussion he did not expect a visit soon.
4. Gwadar to host lawmakers from 26 Asian countries
- Members of parliament from 26 Asian countries will be gathering in Gwadar, Balochistan, next week for a three-day meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) to deliberate on matters of mutual interests to the Asian region in terms of political affairs, economic trade and other regional issues, in addition to passing declarations and resolutions.
- The international conference would start on Oct 29.
- The Senate chairman said that Gwadar was the future economic hub of the country and the purpose of holding of this international conference was to highlight its economic importance as well as giving a message to the world that Pakistan was a peaceful country with enormous investment opportunities.
- The member countries of the APA would deliberate on future prospects for economic cooperation, he said, adding that the inaugural ceremony would be held on Oct 29 to be followed by meetings of Special Committee on Creation of Asian Parliament at a local hotel in Gwadar. The meetings will lead to discussion on resolutions which will consequently be brought before the Assembly.
5. PM in S. Arabia to attend investment conference
- In the first phase of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Imran Khan reached Madina Munawwara on October 22, 2018 evening.
- Mr Khan and members of his delegation were received by Governor of Madina Prince Faisal bin Salman, Saudi Arabia`s Ambassador in Pakistan Nawaz Almalaki, Pakistan`s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sheryar Akbar and senior officials of the two sides.
- PM Khan will attend the Future Investment Initiative Conference (FIIC)in Riyadh. He is paying the visit on the special invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
- Mr Khan is accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Industry Abdul Razak Dawood.
6. New KPK DG health appointed
- The government has appointed Dr Arshad Ahmed Khan as the new director general health services, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a notification issued here on October 22, 2018.
- Dr Ahmed, a BPS-20 management cadre officer currently serving as director general Provincial Health Services Academy, will replace Dr Ayub Rose, who was appointed in November last year.
- The newly-appointed DG, a graduate of Khyber Medical College, has been working on different administrative positions in health department for last 31 years.
October 23, 2018: International Current Affairs
7. CPEC not responsible for Pakistan`s economic woes, says China
- Worried over the `anti-CPEC` campaign in Pakistan, China says the all-important international connectivity project is not to be blamed for the ongoing economic crisis in Islamabad.
- `Loan repayments for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects will start in the financial year 2023-24 when economic growth rate of Pakistan will be much higher than present (and then country will be in a better position to bear the financial liabilities),`.
- Prof Sun who is adviser to the President on Pakistan Affairs sought to negate the impression being spread by anti-CPEC campaigners that only Beijing will benefit from the regional connectivity projects.
- `What will China gain from energy projects given priority in the Erst phase of CPEC as per desire of Islamabad other than helping our all-weather friend to overcome the electricity deficiency badly hitting its economy, asked the scholar who also heads the Pakistan Study Centre at Jiangsu Normal University.
8. Two Koreas, UN forces agree to remove weapons at border
- North and South Korea and the UN Command agreed on October 22, 2018 to withdraw firearms and guard posts in the demilitarised zone village of Panmunjom this week, Seoul`s defence ministry said, the latest move in a fast-improving relationship.
- The three sides held their second round of talks at Panmunjom to discuss ways to demilitarise the border in line with a recent inter Korean pact reached at last month`s summit in Pyongyang.
- The US-led UNC, which has overseen affairs in the DMZ since the end of hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War, was not immediately available for comment, but it said it supports the two Koreas` efforts to implement their military deal.
- The announcement comes amid US concerns that the inter-Korean military initiative could undermine defence readiness and comes without substantial progress on North Korea`s promised denuclearisation.
9. China, Asean start inaugural joint maritime drills
- China and Southeast Asian states kicked off their first joint maritime exercises on October 22, 2018 in an effort to ease regional tensions linked to rival claims in the South China Sea.
- Eight warships set sail from the port of Zhanjiang, in China`s southern Guangdong province, with 1,200 military personnel taking part in the event, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
- Beijing`s expansive claims to the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as Washington which has traditionally been the dominant naval power in the area.
- The navies of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) agreed to hold the week-long manoeuvres as part of efforts to promote stability and ease tensions across the disputed sea.
10. Africa`s oldest president, Cameroon`s Biya, wins seventh term
- One of Africa`s oldest leaders Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon with an iron fist since 1982, won a landslide victory on October 22, 2018 in a controversial presidential election, as the government tightened security and gunfire erupted in the volatile Anglophone region.
- The Constitutional Council, dominated by Biya loyalists, on Monday said the 85-year-old leader had won 71.3 per cent of the ballot in the Oct 7 election, marred by allegations of widespread fraud, a low turnout and violence in the poll run-up.
- The Council`s head Clement Atangana said opposition challenger Maurice Kamto, was a far second with 14.2 per cent of the vote.
- `Today, we cannot imagine a scenario where Mr. Biya will quit power normally,` said political expert Stephane Akoa.
- `If Mr Biya thought about alternating power or democracy, he would not have put in place this machinery …
- whose main task is modify the results in such a way that Mr Biya is the inevitable winner,` he said.