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September 7, 2018: National Current Affairs
1. Chinese FM arriving today on three-day visit
- Two days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo`s transit visit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is reaching Islamabad on September 7, 2018 (today) on a three-day official visit.
- The state-run news agency APP quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying as saying during a regular press briefing in Beijing that the Chinese foreign minister would be visiting Pakistan from Sept 7 to 9 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
- Besides meeting his Pakistani counterpart, Mr Wang is likely to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and president-elect Arif Alvi during his stay in Islamabad to have discussions on bilateral issues with focus on China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.
- `Wang Yi will also meet the main leaders of Pakistani side and exchange views on bilateral relations, regional as well as international issues of mutual interest.
- The visit of the Chinese FM has acquired significance as it is taking place days after a similar visit by top US officials in which both countries agreed to reset their ties and reached an understanding that the Trump administration and the new Pakistani government would try to deliver on each other`s expectations.
2. Five Punjab ministers get portfolios
- The Punjab government on September 6, 2018 allotted portfolios to five ministers who had taken oath along with their 18 colleagues on Aug 27.
- According to a notification, Hafiz Ammar Yasir has been given the potfolio of mines and minerals depanment; Raja Rashid Hafeez literacy and non-formal basic education; Sardar Husnain Bahadar Dareshak livestock and dairy development, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin public prosecution and Hashim Dogar population welfare.
- Of total 23 ministers, 15 were given portfolios same day, while three ministers were given portfolios on Aug 29.
3. PM forms three task forces
- Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 6, 2018 formally formed three task forces to meet the government`s goals of austerity, civil services reforms and completion of merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
- The Task Force on Austerity and Restructuring of the Government (TFARG) comprises 18 members and it has been tasked with giving recommendations to the government how its (the government`s) expenses could be curtailed and what steps are required for restructuring of the government departments.
- The TFARG is headed by former governor and adviser to the prime minister on institutional reforms and austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain.
- The Task Force on Civil Service Reforms (TFCR) is headed by Dr Ishrat Hussain.It has 19 members, including Shahid Kardar, Vice Chancellor of Beacon House National University; Dr Sania Nishtar; Suleiman Ghani, retired federal secretary; Dr Nadeemul-Haq, former deputy chairman of Planning Commission; Salman Raja, a lawyer; Ali Cheema and Umair Javed of LUMS; Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, former federal secretary; Naheed Durrani, managing director of Sindh Education Foundation.
- FATA, PATA MERGER WITH KP: The prime minister also approved the constitution of a Task Force for Identification of Impediments & Facilitation of merger of Fata and Pata with KP.
- The force is consists of 11 members and is headed by the adviser to the prime minister on establishment as its convener.
4. Balochistan governor Achakzai resigns
- Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai on September 6, 2018 tendered his resignation from office.
- Mr Achakzai sent his resignation to President-elect Arif Alvi.
- Later, the Establishment Division issued a notification about the acceptance of Mr Achakzai`s resignation.
- The Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo had been requested to undertake the responsibilities till the appointment of new governor.
- Former PM Nawaz Sharif had appointed Mr Achakzai as governor in May 2013.
5. Saqib given charge of PIA CEO
- Aviation Division Secretary Saqib Aziz was given the additional charge of the chief executive officer of the Pakistan International Airlines on September 6, 2018.
- A notification issued by the federal government on September 5, 2018 says `the federal government has been pleased to approve the grant of additional charge of CEO of PIA to Saqib Aziz (BS 22), secretary aviation with immediate effect and until further orders`.
- Mr Aziz already holds the charge of chairman of PIA.
6. Canada revises travel advisory for Pakistan
- The Canadian government has revised its travel advisory for Pakistan, and removed Islamabad from the list of `avoid non-essential travel` cities.
- The Global Affairs Department while revising the travel advisory for Pakistan observed that there is decrease in risk level for Canadians to travel to Islamabad.
- In the first step towards that direction, the Canadian government has excluded Islamabad from that category and further steps will be taken in the light of evolving security situation.
7. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan agree to boost trade ties
- Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to work out proposals for enhancing bilateral economic cooperation through identifying specific areas in trade and investment.
- An understanding to this effect was reached at the second meeting of Pak-Saudi Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment. The JWG was constituted in the 11th session of Pak-Saudi Joint Ministerial Commission held at Islamabad in January 2018.
- Secretary Commerce Younus Dagha and Saudi Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade Abdulrahman Alharbi co-chaired the session. The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki as well as other officials from various ministries participated in the meeting.
- Dagha invited Saudi government and private sector to invest in oil refining, petrochemicals and food processing industry in Pakistan.
September 7, 2018: International Current Affairs
8. N. Korea`s Kim sets denuclearisation time line, prompts thanks from Trump
- North Korea`s Kim Jong Un has given his first time line for denuclearisation, aiming for the end of US President Donald Trump`s first term, Seoul officials said on September 6, 2018, prompting thanks from Trump who said they would `get it done together`.
- Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet in Pyongyang on Sept 18-20 for a third summit and discuss `practical measures` towards denuclearisation, Moon`s national security adviser, Chung Euiyong, said a day after meeting Kim.
- The summit could provide renewed momentum to talks over denuclearisation between North Korea and the United States, after Trump cancelled a visit to Pyongyang by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month citing lack of progress.
- Kim told South Korean officials his faith in Trump was `unchanged` and that he wanted denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and an end to hostile relations with the United States before Trump`s first term in office ends in early 2021, Chung said.
- But there was no indication that Kim had offered concrete steps toward giving up his nuclear arsenal, something some US officials have said privately they doubt he is willing to do.
9. Pompeo, Mattis skirt sanctions potholes in India talks
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis skirted diplomatic potholes in their long-delayed talks with top Indian officials here on September 6, 2018, where they faced the implacable challenge of isolating Russia and Iran from New Delhi`s strategic ambit.
- There was no deft balancing required, however, for India to use the occasion to slam Pakistan`s alleged role in fomenting terrorism. Inevitably, China too was in the crosshairs.
- `We see the Indo-Pacific as a free, open and inclusive concept, with Asean centrality at the core and defined by a common rules-based order that both our countries are pursuing,` External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a statement after the talks.
10. India`s top court legalises same-sex relations
- A constitutional bench of India`s Supreme Court on September 6, 2018 legalised same-sex relations between consenting adults, but the move poses a challenge in a country where social mores prohibit heterosexual ties across hidebound castes or between religious communities.
- The five-judge bench termed the court`s 2013 judgement constitutionally impermissible.