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March 20, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. 330MW unit of Thar power station begins trial run
• Pakistan`s first power station to burn lignite coal from Thar for electricity generation began its trial run on March 19, 2019 under a public-private partnership, adding 330 megawatts to the national grid in the initial phase.
• The first unit of 330MW of the combined 660MW power plant, located in Thar Block II, was connected to the power grid on Monday and the second unit will be connected in April, while commercial operations are expected to start in June, according to the Engro Powergen Thar Private Ltd (EPTL) chief executive officer.
• The EPTL, which tested and energised the first unit of the power station, is part of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that involves building new infrastructure to help turn Pakistan into a major overland route linking China to the wider region.
2. Pakistani, Indian experts begin groundwork for corridor
• Experts from Pakistan and India held a meeting on March 19, 2019 to discuss the alignment of the Kartarpur border crossing corridor project, set to be opened for Sikh pilgrims this year.
• The meeting was held in a positive and constructive environment, with both sides jointly surveying the coordinates of the zero point and discussing technical aspects (including finished road level, high flood level, etc).
• The two sides agreed on some technical aspects and hope to finalise other modalities soon. The next meeting is to be held at Wagah on April 2.
3. Cabinet decides to sell off property of federal ministries
• The federal cabinet on March 19, 2019 decided to sell off property and assets of different federal minis-tries and allied departments worth trillions of rupees with a view to generating revenue to support the country`s crippling economy.
• Interestingly, Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf leader Jehangir Tareen, who was disqualified for being `dishonest` by the Supreme Court in a case in December 2017, made an appearance after a long gap and gave briefing on the Rs290 billion National Agriculture Emergency Programme (NAEP) to the cabinet that later approved it.
• The cabinet also decided to change the procedures for appointment of the heads of departments of different government organisations, empowering federal ministers to appoint them.
4. Senate could not see 100pc attendance throughout year: report
• The Senate did not see 100 per cent presence of members throughout the parliamentary year which ended on March 11, with the minimum attendance as low as 25 members, a report released by the Senate revealed.
• According to the report, which was released at a press conference addressed by Leader of the House in the Senate Syed Shibli Faraz on March 19, 2019, the inaugural session of the new parliamentary year where half of the members were to take the oath was attended by 103 of the total 104 senators.
• The minimum attendance of 25 members was recorded on July 20, 2018. The average attendance throughout the year remained 64.46, which means over one third of the total members skipped the Senate sessions.
5. Special persons to get loans at 5pc
• The State Bank of Pakistan has decided to provide concessionary loans at an interest rate of five per cent to special persons.
• The SBP said on March 19, 2019 the bank had allowed small enterprise financing and credit guarantee facility for special persons.
• SBP governor Tariq Bajwa announced the facility at the seventh meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs.
• Members of the committee and senior SBP executives were present on the occasion.
March 20, 2019: International Current Affairs
6. China backs `iron friend` Pakistan on anti-terror measures
• China backed its `iron friend` Pakistan on March 19, 2019, applauding its recent counterterrorism measures as Islamabad faces criticism for harbouring militants. `China commends Pakistan`s recent strong counterterrorism measures at home, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
• `We fully support Pakistan in carrying through its counterterrorism campaign,` Mr Wang said.
• Since March 5, Pakistani authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected militants and shuttered more than 700 madressahs, mosques and clinics linked to banned groups.
• Islamabad has come under pressure to demonstrate it is sincere about eliminating militancy, but the crackdown has yet to convince the international community.
7. US tells Afghan president it won`t deal with his NSA
• The United States has told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that Washington will no longer deal with his national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib, the US and Afghan media reported on March 19, 2019.
• On March 18, 2019 afternoon, US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met Pakistan`s ambassador Asad Majeed Khan and told him that everyone will benefit from peace in Afghanistan.
• `Met with Pakistani and British Ambassadors to Washington. Whether your perspective is regional or international, everyone benefits from the security and economic dividends an end to war in Afghanistan will bring, he wrote in a tweet.
8. Kazakh leader announces resignation after 30-year rule
• Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev shocked the nation on March 19, 2019 by announcing his resignation after nearly 30 years in power.
• The Central Asian strongman, 78, had ruled Kazakhstan since before the collapse of the Soviet Union and leaves no obvious successor.
• His announcement came a year ahead of the country`s next scheduled presidential election and amid growing frustration over falling living standards.
• In a broadcast address to the nation, Nazarbayev said he had decided to step down and that the chairman of the Kazakh senate would take over. `I have taken the decision to resign from the post of presidency
March 20, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
9. Japanese Olympic Committee head resigns amid bribery scandal
• Tsunekazu Takeda is stepping down as the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee amid a vote-buying scandal that French investigators suspect helped Tokyo land next year`s Olympics.
• Takeda announced on March 19, 2019 at the committee`s executive board meeting that he will resign when his term ends in June, and he again denied corruption allegations against him.
• The 71-year-old Takeda is also a powerful International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and the head of its marketing commission. When he resigns, he will lose the IOC membership which is tied to his JOC presidency.
• The scandal, which French authorities have been investigating for several years, has cast a long shadow over the Tokyo Olympics and underlines flawed efforts by the IOC to clean up its bidding process.
10. Medal-winning swimmer dies at 26
• Kenneth To, a swimmer who won a silver medal for Australia at the 2013 world championships, has died after becoming ill while training in Florida. He was 26.
• To won six medals for Australia at the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore, including gold in the 400metre medley. At the 2013 worlds in Barcelona, To was part of Australia`s silver medal-winning 400 medley relay squad.
• The cause of death was not immediately clear.
• Born in Hong Kong, To`s family moved to Australia when he was young. He transferred his nationality in 2016 to swim for Hong Kong and was training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
