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September 8, 2018: National Current Affairs
1. Police chiefs of Punjab, Sindh & KP transferred in shuffle
- The federal government on September 7, 2018 transferred and posted top police officers in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, the inspector general of Punjab police (PSP, BS-21), who is serving as the Provincial Police Officer in Punjab, has been transferred and posted as the PPO in Sindh.
- Amjad Javed Saleemi (BS-22), serving as inspector general of Sindh police, has been transferred and asked to report to the Establishment Division with immediate effect.
- Muhammad Tahir (PSP, BS-21), serving as the PPO of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been transferred and posted as inspector general of Punjab police. A notification has been issued in this regard by the Establishment Division.
- The government has appointed Salahuddin Khan Mehsud as chief of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police. He has replaced Mr Tahir who has been transferred to Punjab.
- Meanwhile, the Punjab government has issued a notification saying that City Police Officer Rizwan Omer Gondal (PSP, BS-18) has been relieved of his duties in Punjab and transferred to Islamabad. Mr Gondal remained in news last week for his involvement and subsequent transfer after an incident revolving around the former husband of first lady Khawar Maneka.
2. Govt `proposes` Kartarpur border opening to India
- The government on September 7, 2018 said it was considering opening the Kartarpur border crossing with India for Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib without visa.
- The government is considering opening Kanarpur border and after that the Indian Sikhs visiting the gurdwara will be required to have a ticket. The Kartarpur gurdwara is located in Narowal district near the Indian border.
3. Three more advisers inducted into Balochistan cabinet
- Three more advisers have been inducted into the Jam-led six-party coalition government of Balochistan.
- According to a notification issued on the orders of the governor of Balochistan, three advisers were appointed with immediate effect on the advice of the chief minister on September 7, 2018.
- The new advisers are: Mir Abdul Rauf Rind of the Balochistan Awami Party, Malik Naeem Khan Bazai of the Awami National Party and Abdul Khalig Hazara of the Hazara Democratic Party.
- With the induction of the three advisers, the number of advisers in the Balochistan cabinet has risen to four.
4. Fifth patrol vessel inducted into maritime agency`s fleet
- The PMSS Kashmir, the fifth maritime patrol vessel built in China for the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, was inducted into the PMSA`s fleet on September 7, 2018.
- It was in response to evolving maritime challenges, law-enforcement imperatives and national obligations that a capacity enhancement plan was pro-posed by the PMSA and subsequently approved by the federal government.
- The induction of another state-of-the-art vessel into the PMSA fleet was of unique significance as it showed the agency`s commitment and resolve towards safeguarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and ensuring maritime security.
5. Noted playwright, broadcaster Nisar Mohammad dies at 78
- Noted Pashto film and playwright Nisar Mohammad Khan passed away in his native Shahmansoor village on September 7, 2018 after a five-year-long battle with cancer. He was 78.
- He worked on different positions in Radio Pakistan and finally was appointed as station director at Peshawar Centre.
- He wrote several Pashto dramas for both Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television, Peshawar centres.
- He also directed many plays. He won the best drama writer award in 2002. He penned scripts and storylines for about 60 top Pashto movies. He also wrote two exceptional books, one was on Life of Hazrat Bilal (RA) and other was on Pashto music titled Speen Tumbal.
- He also wrote the stories of two famous Pashto films, Orbal and Makhroor.
- He set new trends in Pashto film making; music and drama were his great strengths.
September 8, 2018: International Current Affairs
6. Mattis makes unannounced Afghan visit
- US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis met with top Afghan leaders during an unannounced visit to Kabul on September 7, 2018, adding his weight to a flurry of diplomatic efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
- His trip comes a little more than a year after President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped strategy for Afghanistan that saw him commit thousands of additional US forces to the war-torn country on an open-ended basis.
- Mattis, on his fourth visit to Afghanistan since becoming defence chief in January 2017, has met with President Ashraf Ghani and the new US commander for American and NATO forces, General Scott Miller. His arrival in Kabul comes at a sensitive time in the 17-year war.
- The grinding conflict has seen little progress by Afghan or US forces against the Taliban, the country’s largest militant group. Six US soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year, the most recent happening on Monday in an apparent insider attack
7. UN special envoy meets Yemeni FM, tries to persuade Houthis to attend talks in Geneva
- The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has discussed issues including prisoners, humanitarian access and the reopening of Sanaa airport with Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani.
- But Griffiths, who began consultations with the Yemen government delegation in Geneva on September 6, 2018, was still awaiting representatives of the Iranian-allied Houthi movement from the capital Sanaa in order to hold peace talks, UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said.
- The United Nations said that Griffiths was not expected to hold any talks at its Geneva offices on Friday. But he was seenholding talks at the hotel of the Yemeni government delegation.
8. China allows Nepal to use its ports, ends Indian monopoly on transit
- China will allow Nepal the use of four of its ports, the Nepalese government said on September 7, 2018, as the landlocked Himalayan nation seeks to end India`s monopoly over its trading routes by increasing connections with Beijing.
- Wedged between China and India, Nepal depends heavily on India for the supply of essential goods including fuel and the use of its ports for trade with other countries.
- But Kathmandu has sought access to Chinese ports to reduce dependence on India since a prolonged blockade of its border crossings with India in 2015 and 2016 left the country short of fuel and medicine for several months.
- Officials from Nepal and China finalised a protocol during a meeting in Kathmandu on Friday giving Nepalaccess to the Chinese ports at Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang and Zhanjiang, a statement from Nepal`s Commerce Ministry said.
- Overland trade is now routed mainly through the east Indian port of Kolkata which takes up to three months, officials said. New Delhi has also opened the southern port at Vishakhapatnam for Nepali trade.
9. Iran, Russia, Turkey struggle to agree future of Syria’s Idlib
- Iran, Russia and Turkey were unable to overcome their differences at a Tehran summit on September 7, 2018 as they held talks on an imminent offensive against the last rebel stronghold in Syria, amid warnings from the international community of a looming humanitarian disaster.
- Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly disagreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a press conference in the Iranian capital and warned of a “bloodbath” in Idlib province, where an assault by Syrian government forces is expected any day.
- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who hosted the meeting, also warned against a “scorched earth” policy, but said “fighting terrorism in Idlib is an unavoidable part of the mission of restoring peace and stability to Syria.” Russia and Iran are major allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs opposition fighters, including some present in Idlib, who are seeking his ouster.
September 8, 2018: Sports Current Affairs
10. AB De Villiers signs up to play in PSL 2019
- Former South African skipper and one of the leading batsmen in world cricket, AB de Villiers has consented to join the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for its 2019 season.
- A press release by the PCB said: `Pakistan Super League (PSL) is all set for another thrilling edition with the signing of South African legend AB de Villiers for the 2019 season.
- `De Villiers, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, brings a stellar record with him. With more than 20,000 international runs to his name, De Villiers is inarguably one of the greatest modern-day cricketers to have played the game.