NATIONAL

Sep 16: British Pakistani boxer Muhammad Ali made history when he became the first boxer with type-one
diabetes to win a professional fight. He defeated Andrej Cepur.
Sep 16: Competing with 12,000 other contestants, a Pakistani student Zahra Hussain won an essay
competition organized by the British Royal Commonwealth Society. She wrote on the topic ‘Hues of Red’.
It is to be noted here that the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest schools’
international writing competition, managed by The Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883.

Sep 17: A two-day event titled “International Conference on Global Peace Amidst War and Conflict” was
held in Islamabad. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Mahmood Hayat
was the chief guest. The event was organized by the Center for Peace, Security and Development (CPSD).
Sep 17: During the visit of British Home Secretary Sajid Javid to Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Pakistan
launched the ‘UK-Pakistan Justice and Accountability Partnership’ that would work towards repatriation of
illicit finances, recovery of stolen assets and putting a check on money laundering. The new partnership
would be headed by a special envoy.
Sep 17: PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan took oath as minister of state for parliamentary affairs.
Sep 17: Second seed Babar Masih defeated unseeded Mohammad Asif Toba to win the third national
ranking snooker championship.
Sep 18: Partially reversing income tax relaxations and reducing the development budget, Finance Minister
Asad Umar presented a supplementary budget of the PTI government with a total fiscal adjustment equal
to 2.1 percent of GDP (roughly Rs805 billion), including Rs183bn worth of revenue measures.
Sep 18: The National Fighters FC defeated Gizri Star FC to win the inaugural Aik Awam Unity Cup in Gizri,
Karachi.
Sep 18: Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi attended the 23rd International Seapower
Symposium-2018 (ISS) held, from 18 to 21 Sep, at US Naval War College Newport.
Sep 19: The Supreme Court (SC) directed to remove former finance minister Ishaq Dar from the
chairmanship of the Board of Governors of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore.
Sep 19: The Hashoo Foundation and Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GB-DMA) signed an
MoU for the capacity building of the latter in different aspects of environment, climate-compatible
development, and disaster risk reduction and disaster management in its development projects in the
context of vulnerable groups in Pakistan.
Sep 19: Punjab and Denmark agreed upon joint initiatives for the awareness and cure of diabetes in
Punjab.
Sep 19: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa met the Chinese President Xi Jinping on a special
invitation.
Sep 19: Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired captain
Mohammad Safdar were released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail and flown back to Lahore, after the
Islamabad High Court suspended their sentences till a decision on their appeals in Panamagate case.
Global pharma companies dodging millions of dollar
taxes in Pakistan: Oxfam
Sep 19: The UK-based charity Oxfam International (Oxford Committee for Famine Relief) in its latest report
‘Prescription for Poverty,’ said that the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies enriched themselves by
avoiding millions of dollars of taxes every year in Pakistan and other developing countries. The report found
that these companies appeared to avoid an estimated $112 million in taxes every year in seven developing
countries: Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand.
One multinational company alone allegedly avoided $1.7 million of taxes in Pakistan. It did not have access
to data for the three other pharmaceutical giants. Almost a million children die of pneumonia every year –
an estimated 91,000 of them in Pakistan. With the missing tax money, the seven developing countries
studied by Oxfam could buy pneumonia vaccines for 8.9 million children.

If their governments invested the dodged tax revenue in healthcare, it could pay for 10 million girls to be
vaccinated against pneumonia. The disease can cause cervical cancer, which is responsible for the death
of one woman around the world every two minutes. Nearly 90 percent of these fatalities are women in
developing countries, the report said.

Sep 20: Pakistan was once again elected as a member of board of governors of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) for the next two years.
About IAEA
1. The IAEA is an international organisation that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and
inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.
2. It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
3. The IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
4. IAEA’s board of governors consists of 35 out of agency’s 170 member countries.
5. Eleven (11) board members are elected to the IAEA’s board of governors every two years.
6. Pakistan is a founding member of the IAEA.
7. Pakistan has been elected 19 times to the board in the past.
Sep 20: Pakistan Post issued special postage stamps, of Rs 8 denomination, to portray martyred Kashmiri
youth leader, Burhan Wani, describing him a ‘Freedom Icon’.
Sep 22: The federal government appointed senior bureaucrat Mumtaz Ali Shah Sindh chief secretary.
Sep 23: Pakistani women won three gold, four silver and three bronze medals at the Asian Power lifting
and Bench Press Championship which was held in Dubai, UAE.
Sep 24: The new US diplomat to Pakistan Paul Jones began his assignment as the chargé d’affaires at the
United States Embassy in Islamabad.
Sep 24: The Supreme Court (SC) approved a change in the name of the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand
Dams fund which is now called Supreme Court and Prime Minister’s Fund for Diamer-Bhasha and
Mohmand Dams.
Sep 24: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtiar, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Egypt,
Mushtaq Ali Shah and other representatives from Egyptian and Pakistani ministries attended the summit
that was organized in Cairo, Egypt, to explore economic opportunities emerging from China’s Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI), by the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI).
Sep 25: As per a study “Measuring Human Capital: A systematic analysis of 195 countries and territories,
1990 to 2016” published in the international medical journal ‘The Lancet’, Pakistan ranked 164th in the
world in terms of its investment in education and health care as measurement of its commitment to
economic growth. The list of 195 countries placed Pakistan behind Rwanda (ranked 163rd) and just ahead
of Tanzania (ranked 165th), with United States standing at 27th place and India at 158th. Shockingly,
Pakistan has improved its ranking just two places from 166 in 1990 to 164 in 2016 in more than two and a
half decades.
Sep 25: Kanwal Ahmed of Soul Sisters Pakistan (SSP) and Nadia Patel Gangjee of Sheops were selected
for the Facebook leadership programme.
Sep 26: Pakistan’s Muhammad Bilal and Babar Masih bagged silver and bronze medals, respectively, at
the Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship that was held in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Sep 26: Sarah Mehboob and Mehaq Khokhar outclassed the Sara Mansoor-Mahvish Chishtie duo to win
the doubles title in the Subh-e-Nau Ladies National Tennis Championship.
Sep 27: Sarah Mahboob added yet another feather to her crowded cap when she defeated talented Sara
Mansoor to clinch the Subh-e-Nau National Ladies Tennis title.
Sep 27: The Supreme Court of Pakistan rejected the petition filed by PTI stalwart Jahangir Khan Tareen,
wherein he sought review of its verdict that had disqualified him on Dec 15 last year.
Sep 27: The federal cabinet approved appointment of Arshad Khan as chairman of the Pakistan Television
Corporation (PTV).
Sep 27: In order to signify the contributions of the maritime industry in the world’s economy and to focus
on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security, and the marine environment, Pakistan Navy
celebrated the World Maritime Day under the theme: ‘Our heritage — better shipping for a better future’.
Sep 27: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed three grants-in-aid agreements worth $16 million to furnish and
equip university and hospital projects financed by Riyadh.
Sep 27: As a sign of increasing economic cooperation, Pakistan and Russia signed an intergovernmental
agreement to conduct feasibility study for building $10 billion offshore gas pipeline to supply gas from
Russia to Pakistan. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed in Moscow.
Sep 27: The Punjab governor’s wife, Perveen Sarwar, initiated the Green Heritage Programme to beautify
the heritage of the province.
Sep 28: Former PIA managing director/chairman Chaudhry Ahmad Saeed passed away. He was 80.
Mr Saeed remained PIA MD (2001-03) and chairman (2003-05) during the Musharraf regime. He was the
brother of former defence minister Ahmad Mukhtar.

Sep 28: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed death sentence awarded to
11 hardcore terrorists.
Sep 28: Defence Minister Pervez Khattak was appointed to head a parliamentary committee constituted to
probe alleged rigging in the July 25 general elections.
Sep 28: The Japanese government announced to donate $2.7 million to support the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees programme in Pakistan.
Sep 29: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressed the United Nations General Assembly. In his
speech – delivered in Urdu – the FM said that Pakistan wanted to engage with “all countries and neighbours
on the basis of peace and equality.”
Sep 29: The Punjab government replaced Deputy Prosecutor General Hafiz Asghar, Sheikh Saeed and
Waqar Abid Bhatti with Abdul Rauf Watto, Imtiaz Supra and Azra Sultan as the prosecution team to “speed
up proceedings” of the Model Town case.
Sep 30: PTI’s Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon took the oath as the sixth governor of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Sep 30: Senior journalist Jawad Nazir breathed his last.
Sep 30: The Sindh Assembly authorized expenditures for the remaining three quarters of the current
financial year, 2018-19. The previous assembly passed the Rs1.445 trillion Sindh budget in May, but
authorised an expenditure of Rs292.6 billion for the first quarters only.
Sep 30: The Indian army opened fire at the helicopter of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister
Raja Farooq Haider from a post when he was travelling to a village near the volatile Line of Control.
Oct 02: The federal government appointed Mr Yousaf Naseem Khokher as the Punjab chief secretary.
Oct 02: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid an official visit to Jordan. He
called on Jordanian King Abdullah Ibn Al Hussein and discussed with him regional security situation and
bilateral cooperation.
Oct 03: The PTI candidate Dr Shahzad Waseem won the election for the Senate seat, which was vacated
by Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar after his appointment as governor Punjab, with 181 votes. PML-N
candidate Khawaja Ahmed Hassaan bagged 169 votes
Oct 03: The prestigious ICC World Cup Trophy, as part of its world tour, arrived in Lahore.
Oct 03: The National Assembly passed the Finance Supplementary (Amendment) Bill 2018, generally
known as minibudget, after the government agreed to continue with the policy of the previous regime of
barring non-filers from purchasing properties and vehicles.
Oct 03: The PTI-led government revised up development allocations for the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) projects to Rs193 billion for the current fiscal year.
Oct 03: The government removed Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Chairman
Shaukat Hussain Abbasi over his illegal appointment.
Oct 05: The government inducted six more diehard political aides to Prime Minister Imran Khan into the
cabinet, taking its total strength to 34. Muhammad Faisal Vawda, Senator Azam Khan Swati,
Muhammadmian Soomro, Ali Amin Gandapur and Sahibzada Muhammad Mehmood Sultan were sworn in
as federal ministers, while Zartaj Gul Wazir was made minister of state.
The federal cabinet now has 24 ministers, six state ministers and four advisers. According to the
Constitution, the maximum strength of the federal cabinet can be 49.

Oct 05: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police introduced Criminal Record Verification System (CRVS) to put an
effective end to terrorism and other heinous crimes across the province.
Oct 05: The Supreme Court ordered the appointment of a judicial commission to investigate the 2014
terrorist attack on the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar. A three-judge bench headed by the CJP Mian
Saqib Nisar instructed the CJ of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) Waqar Ahmed Seth to nominate a senior
judge to investigate the atrocity.
Oct 05: NAB arrested PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif in Rs14 billion Ashiyana-i-Iqbal Housing Project
scam.
Oct 05: President Arif Alvi constituted a 13-member National Economic Council which will be chaired by
Prime Minister Imran Khan. The chief ministers of all four provinces will be the members of the NEC, which
will also include Finance Minister Asad Umar, Minister of Planning Khusro Bakhtiar, and PM’s advisor on
commerce, textiles, industries and investment Abdul Razak Dawood and PM’s Advisor on Institutional
Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain.
Further, Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, Minister for Food and Parliamentary
Affairs Sindh Nisar Khuhro, Finance Minister KP Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Balochistan MPA Jan Jamali
will represent their respective provinces.

Oct 07: National Bank of Pakistan won the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Hockey Championship trophy beating
Wapda in the final at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore.
Oct 07: Shaikh Aziz, a veteran journalist, author and scholar, died at the age of 79.
Oct 07: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced a $7.1 billion financial package for Pakistan,
saying it would help the country “achieve inclusive and sustainable growth” over the next three years.
Oct 08: The Netherlands and Punjab Board of Investment & Trade (PBIT) agreed to boost cooperation in
the fields of agriculture, farming, livestock, food production methodologies, drip irrigation and hi-technology.

Oct 08: Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a countrywide cleanliness drive titled ‘Clean and Green
Pakistan’ aimed at provision of clean drinking water, clean environment, proper sanitation, a waste disposal
system and construction of toilets at all public places in five years.
Oct 08: The Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) conducted the training launch of nuclear-capable
Ghauri missile, the only liquid fuel ballistic missile in the country’s arsenal.
Oct 09: The mother of former state minister for water and power Abid Sher Ali and wife of ex-mayor Sher
Ali passed away.
Oct 09: Pakistan ranked amongst the top seven countries with the highest number of diarrhoea cases and
the increasing number of deaths associated with it.
Oct 09: The Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) Officers Association, for the first time in its history,
unanimously elected a female officer – Rabiya Javeri Agha – as its president.
About Rabiya Javeri Agha
1. Rabiya is one of the senior female officers of the Pakistani government.
2. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, Rabiya entered the civil service in 1986.
3. She has served the government in several capacities.
4. In her judicial assignments, she was both ‘first class’ and juvenile magistrate.
5. She has also worked as Director General, Federal Ombudsman, Secretary Local Government Board,
and Financial Advisor to the Mayor of Karachi from 1998 to 2000.
6. She was instrumental in instituting free legal aid facilities and shelters throughout Sindh for
underprivileged women while serving as Secretary of the Women’s Development department.
7. She has also served as Secretary for the Energy department, Tourism department and Special Secretary
to the Governor of Sindh.
8. She currently holds the post of Federal Secretary for Human Rights.
9. During her time in the human rights ministry, Rabiya was responsible for promulgation of the National
Commission on the Rights of the Child Bill, 2017, the Hindu Marriage Act, 2017, the ICT Child Protection
Bill and Juvenile Justice Ordinance System, 2018.
10. She has also has presented and defended five treaty reports at the United Nations.
Oct 10: Lt Gen Asim Munir was named as the new director general of premier spy agency Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI). He assumed office on the retirement of Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar on Oct 25.
The new ISI Director General has vast intelligence experience, and had served on various positions. He
had also served as military attaché in Saudi Arabia as Lt Colonel and has the honour to have memorised
Holy Quran during his posting. Lt Gen Munir’s previous appointment was as DG Military Intelligence. He
received a Hilal-i-Imtiaz in March 2018.

He has also served as commander of the Force Command Northern Areas.

Other Appointments in Pak Army
Lt Gen Azhar Saleh Abbasi: Chief of Logistics Staff General Headquarters (GHQ)
Lt Gen Nadeem Zaki: Commander Mangla Corps
Lt Gen Shaheen Mazher: Commander Peshawar Corps
Lt Gen Abdul Aziz: Military Secretary General Headquarters
Lt Gen Muhammad Adnan: Vice Chief of General Staff
Lt Gen Waseem Ashraf: Inspector General (IG) Arms.
Oct 10: Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme, a mega programme
to construct five million affordable housing units in the country.
Oct 10: PTI leader Usman Dar was appointed the chairman of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.
Oct 11: President Dr Arif Alvi removed senior puisne judge of the Islamabad High Court Justice Shaukat
Aziz Siddiqui on the recommendations of the Supreme Judicial Council.
Oct 13: On the directive of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Peshawar High Court chief justice ordered
constitution of a commission comprising Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan to probe the 2014 Army Public
School carnage.
Oct 14: Pakistan closed its Friendship Gate with Afghanistan in Chaman.
Oct 14: By-elections on 11 national and 24 provincial assembly seats were held. Ruling PTI and the
opposition PML-N managed to win most of the seats.
Oct 15: The government replaced Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Tahir with Amjad
Javed Saleemi.
Saleemi’s career
Saleemi joined the civil services on November 1, 1986.
He belongs to the 14th Common and district of his domicile is Faisalabad.
He was previously a grade 22 officer of Police Service of Pakistan, serving as IG National Highways and
Motorway Police (NH&MP).
He is due to retire on January 31, 2020.
Oct 15: The PTI government unveiled its sixth consecutive annual budget for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The
2018-19 budget with an outlay of Rs648 billion, which also includes the estimates for the first four months
of the fiscal year already authorized by the last caretaker government, carried a surplus of Rs30 billion.
Oct 15: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaisar announced a 30-member Parliamentary Committee
to probe allegations of rigging in general election 2018. The committee comprised of 20 members from the
National Assembly and 10 members from the Senate with equal members of the government and opposition
from both the houses of Parliament.
China overtaking US in scientific research
Thirty years ago in December, the modern exchange of scholars between the US and China began. Since
then, Chinese academics have become the most prolific global contributors to publications in physical
sciences, engineering and math.

For decades, China’s growth was driven by shifting workers from agriculture to manufacturing. As the
country started to approach the so-called Lewis turning point, when such shifts no longer raise overall
productivity, the government made an increasingly concerted effort to build the scientific base to provide
another vector for growth. The results of those efforts are showing up in both the rankings of Chinese
universities (11 of the top 100 globally) and in scholarly output.

Qingnan Xie of Nanjing University of Science & Technology and Richard Freeman of Harvard University
have studied China’s contribution to global scientific output. They document a rapid expansion between
2000 and 2016, as the Chinese share of global publications in physical sciences, engineering and math
quadrupled. By 2016, the Chinese share exceeded that of the US.

The quality of Chinese research is also improving, though it currently remains below that of US academics.
A recent analysis suggests that, measured not just by numbers of papers but also by citations from other
academics, Chinese scholars could become the global leaders in the near future.
 INTERNATIONAL

Sep 16: Kenyan Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge set

a new marathon world record by clocking a time of 2hr 1min 39sec. He smashed the previous record of 2hr
02min 57sec set by compatriot Dennis Kimetto in 2014.
Sep 16: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki signed the Jeddah
Peace Agreement during a summit in Saudi Arabia.
The Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders also were awarded for their efforts the Order of Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Medal, the kingdom’s highest civilian honour.

Sep 16: India conducted its first successful test-fire of a new indigenously designed and developed man-
portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM).
Sep 17: Meredith Corp., the publisher of Time Magazine, sold this prestigious publication to Marc Benloff,
a co-founder of Sales force, and his wife for $190 million.
Sep 17: Germany rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered trains that only emit steam and water.
Sep 18: South Africa’s top court ruled that private, personal use of cannabis was legal.
Sep 18: SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space transportation company, revealed the name of its first private
passenger on a voyage around the moon. He is Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, the founder and
chief executive of fashion retailer Zozo.
Sep 18: South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in met North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un in Pyongyang. Both
leaders discussed ways to reboot stalled denuclearization talks between the NK and the United States.
Sep 18: HBO’s record-breaking fantasy epic Game of Thrones won the coveted best drama series prize at
the Emmys.
Sep 18: Angela Merkel’s government removed domestic spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen from office.
Sep 18: A charismatic Japanese mixed martial artist Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto died at age 41.
Sep 19: The Indian government issued an executive order making the Islamic practice of “instant divorce”
a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in prison.
Sep 19: At a summit with the South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang, North Korea’s Kim Jong-
Un agreed to close a missile testing site in front of international inspectors.
Sep 20: Japanese cryptocurrency firm Tech Bureau Corp said that about $60 million in digital currencies
were stolen from its exchange, highlighting the industry’s vulnerability despite recent efforts by authorities
to make it more secure.
Sep 20: Afghanistan’s ambassador to India Dr Shaida Abdali stepped down from his role as envoy, shortly
after the Afghan president paid a visit to India.
Sep 20: Daria Bilodid of Ukraine made judo history by becoming the youngest world champion at the age
of 17 years and 345 days. He secured the world title in the under 48kg category.
Sep 20: India List A cricketer Shahbaz Nadeem produced the best ever bowling figures in List-A cricket
when he got 8 wickets for only 10 runs (10-4-10-8). The previous best was Rahul Sanghvi’s 8 for 15, for
Delhi against Himachal Pradesh back in 1997-98.
Sep 22: Militants shot dead at least 29 people including women and children in an attack on an Iranian
military parade in Ahvaz.
Sep 22: Russia and Turkey agreed on borders of a demilitarized zone in northern Syria.
Sep 22: India cancelled a meeting between foreign ministers of Pakistan and India on the sidelines of the
United Nations General Assembly session.
Sep 22: Women foreign ministers from around the world kicked off a first-of-its-kind meeting, bringing
together more than half of the world’s top women diplomats, in Montreal, Canada.
Sep 23: An Egyptian court sentenced 66 people, including Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Badie,
to life in prison over an August 2013 attack on a police station in Minya.
Sep 23: China announced to postpone joint military talks in protest against a US decision to sanction a
Chinese military agency and its director for buying Russian fighter jets and a surface-to-air missile system.
Sep 23: Former world number one Karolina Pliskova defeated Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka to
win the Pan Pacific Open.
Sep 23: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world’s biggest health insurance scheme. The
Ayushman Bharat programme, dubbed “Modicare” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, promises health
cover worth 500,000 rupees ($6,900) to every poor family to treat serious ailments.
Sep 24: President Donald Trump’s tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports took effect.
Sep 24: Former President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Biswanath Dutt, passed away at
93.
Sep 24: Google celebrated its 20th birthday.
Sep 24: Maldives strongman President Yameen Abdul Gayoom conceded defeat in country’s election. His
challenger and a long-time lawmaker Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, won with 58 percent of the vote while
Yameen could garner 42 percent.
Sep 24: Renowned American golfer Tiger Woods won his first title since 2013 with a two-stroke triumph at
the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Sep 24: At the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, held in New York, Member States adopted the first
resolution of the General Assembly’s 73rd session, “committing to demonstrate mutual respect, tolerance,
understanding and reconciliation in [their] relations.”
Sep 24: A statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled at UN Headquarters by UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres alongside Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, and María Fernanda
Espinosa, the President of the current session of the General Assembly.
Sep 25: The European Union announced to set up a payment system to allow oil companies and
businesses to continue trading with Iran.
Sep 25: Riksdagen, the parliament of Sweden, voted overwhelmingly against the Prime Minister Stefan
Lofven in a vote of no-confidence.
About the Riksdag
1. The Riksdag is the national legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden.
2. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members.
3. Members of the Riksdag are elected proportionally and serving, from 1994 onwards, on fixed four-year
terms.
4. The seat of the Riksdag is at Parliament House, on the island of Helgeandsholmen in the central parts
of Stockholm.
5. The presidium consists of a speaker and three deputy speakers. They are elected for a 4-year term.
Sep 25: Luka Modric ended Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s decade-long domination of football’s
individual awarded by being crowned FIFA’s best player of the year.
Sep 25: Evan Atar Adaha, a South Sudanese doctor who runs an overcrowded hospital with a dimly-lit
surgical theatre and no regular supply of general anesthetics, won the UNHCR’s prestigious Nansen
Refugee Award.
About the Award
1. The Nansen prize, awarded annually, is named after Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who
served as the first high commissioner for refugees during the failed League of Nations.
2. It is awarded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to an individual, group
or organization in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced or stateless people.
3. It was established in 1954.
4. Every year, the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award is presented at a dignified ceremony in Geneva,
Switzerland, the “world’s humanitarian capital”.
5. Held at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, the ceremony coincides with the annual UNHCR Executive
Committee (Excom) meeting.
6. Syed Munir Hussain (1988) and Aqeela Asifi (2015) are the only two Pakistanis conferred with this award.
Sep 26: Fashion house Michael Kors announced to buy Italian luxury giant Versace.
Sep 27: The UK is still home to the top two universities in the world, according to the 2018 Times Higher
Education World University Rankings. Oxford University was on top for the third consecutive year, while
Cambridge kept its 2nd position for the second year in a row.
Sep 27: American F-35 stealth fighters were used in a combat operation for the first time, marking a major
milestone for the most expensive plane in history.
Sep 27: Australia, for the first time, named two Test cricket vice-captains – all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and
fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.
Sep 27: India’s top court ruled that adultery is no longer a crime, striking down a 158-year-old colonial-era
law.
Earlier this month, the court struck a ban on gay sex introduced by British rulers in 1861.
Where is adultery a criminal offence?
Adultery is considered illegal in 21 American states, including New York.

It is prohibited in Islamic Law, so it is a criminal offence in Islamic countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia.

Taiwan punishes adultery by up to a year in prison and it is also deemed a crime in Indonesia.

More than 60 countries around the world had done away with laws that made adultery a crime.

Sep 27: Germany beat Turkey in a two-horse contest to win the rights to host the Euro 2024 football
tournament. Germany had previously staged the event as West Germany in 1988 and successfully held
the 2006 World Cup.
Sep 28: India’s top court revoked a ban on women’s entry to India’s Supreme Court by ruling that “women
can no longer be barred from entering the Sabarimala temple,” considered one of the holiest for Hindus.
The Sabarimala temple in Kerala had banned women and girls of “menstruating age” – defined as from 10
to 50 – from entering the place of worship.
Sep 28: India retained the Asia Cup with a three-wicket win off the last ball against Bangladesh.
Sep 29: Common opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was declared president-elect of Maldives.
Sep 29: Britain’s Callum Smith knocked out his compatriot George Groves in Saudi Arabia to claim the
World Boxing Association Super Middleweight title and the coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy.
Sep 30: Elon Musk agreed to step down as chairman of Tesla and pay a $20 million fine in a deal to settle
charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Oct 01: The International Court of Justice rejected a bid by landlocked Bolivia to force Chile to the
negotiating table for access to the Pacific Ocean, in a row dating back to the 19th century.
Oct 01: Canada and the US reached a deadline deal on a new free trade pact that will also include Mexico.
Oct 01: Two immunologists, James Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan, won the 2018 Nobel
Medicine Prize for research into how the body’s natural defences can fight cancer.
Oct 02: Three scientists – Arthur Ashkin, Frenchman Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland – won the Nobel
Physics Prize. Strickland is the first female physics prize winner in 55 years and also the first female Nobel
laureate in any field in three years – for inventing optical lasers that have paved the way for advanced
precision instruments used in corrective eye surgery.
Oct 03: The ruling Communist Party of Vietnam nominated its general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong as the
sole candidate for the presidency, succeeding late President Tran Dai Quang. His nomination, later, was
confirmed by the Southeast Asian nation’s parliament as the country’s and its own President. He is the first
person to hold both titles since founding father Ho Chi Minh in the 1960s.
Oct 03: The International Court of Justice ordered the United States to lift sanctions on humanitarian goods
for Iran. The ICJ’s order was an interim ruling on a broader case in which Iran has challenged the legality
of the US sanctions.
Oct 03: The United States terminated the Treaty of Amity of 1955, which established its economic relations
and consular rights with Iran, in response to the International Court of Justice ordering the United States to
lift sanctions on Tehran involving medicine, food and airplane parts.
Oct 05: A Seoul court jailed former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak for 15 years for corruption.
Oct 05: Switzerland, the world’s biggest center for managing offshore wealth, began automatically sharing
client data with tax authorities in dozens of other countries.
Oct 05: Russia and India’s leaders announced a raft of deals worth billions of dollars including for an S-
400 surface-to-air missile defence system, worth $5.2 billion.
Oct 05: Mandira Nayar, a granddaughter of famous Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar, scattered his ashes in
the Ravi, near Lahore, in keeping with his will.
Oct 05: Denis Mukwege, a doctor who helps victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi rights activist and survivor of sexual slavery by the militant Islamic State
(IS) group, won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon
of war.
Oct 06: The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh with a
50-48 vote.
Oct 07: Iran’s parliament approved a bill to counter terrorist financing. The bill aims to bring Iran’s laws in
line with international standards and allow it to join the UN Terrorism Financing Convention.
Oct 07: Caroline Wozniacki defeated Anastasija Sevastova to win the China Open and her third WTA title
of the year. Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia beat top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in the men’s final.
Oct 07: China informed the Interpol that the former Interpol president, Meng Hongwei, who is also China’s
vice minister of public security, was being lawfully investigated for bribery and other crimes.
Oct 08: Bangladesh’s president signed a digital security act into law which carries heavy jail sentences for
secretly recording government officials or spreading “negative propaganda” using a smartphone or
computer.
Oct 08: US economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer shared the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for
constructing ‘green growth’ models that shown how innovation and climate policies could be integrated with
economic growth.
Oct 09: Former Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti was sentenced to 15½ years in prison for
fraud, influence peddling and illicit association related to a government contract to clean up a polluted lake.
Oct 09: The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, announced her resignation.
Oct 10: Egyptian and Saudi forces started their joint military drills dubbed “Tabuk 4” in Egypt’s southern
military region.
Oct 11: The world’s longest commercial flight took off from Singapore for New York.
Oct 13: India was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) by receiving 188
votes, out of UNGA 193 member states, in the Asia-Pacific category.
Oct 14: Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska crushed Chinese number one Wang Qiang to claim her
first- ever WTA title.
Oct 14: Swiss IOC member Patrick Baumann, a central figure in the Olympic movement and the sport of
basketball, died at the age of 51.
Oct 14: Slain Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero and pope Paul VI, Catholic giants who sparked
controversy during their lifetimes, joined the church’s highest rank with an elevation to sainthood.
Oct 14: Novak Djokovic won the Shanghai Masters with a victory over Borna Coric.
Oct 15: Closed for years due to the civil war, Syria reopened a vital border post with Jordan as well as a
crossing into the Israeli-controlled Golan.
Oct 15: India and China launched a programme to impart training to 10 Afghan diplomats.
Times Higher Education (THE) World Universities
Rankings 2019
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 are one of the most accurate and well-
respected rankings of universities around the world. Sadly for Pakistan though, the country’s presence on
the list is shrinking, and shrinking fast. It should be worrying for the country that only a few Pakistani
universities have made it to the list of top 1000 universities in the world for 2019.

This year, Pakistan only had three universities placed in the top 1000 universities on the list. Just three out
of 192 universities that function across the country at present! The number of Pakistani universities placed
in the top 1000 was seven for the THE rankings for 2017. It then dropped to four in last year’s ranking. And
alarmingly, the number has come down to three in the 2019 rankings.

The three Pakistani universities in the top 1000 universities are COMSATS Institute of Information
Technology in 601-800 band, University of Agriculture Faisalabad in the 801-1000 band and National
University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), also in the 600-801 band.

Other Pakistani universities named in the THE World University Rankings 2019, but in the 1000+ band, are
Bahauddin Zakariya University, University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Lahore, Government
College University Lahore, University of Lahore, PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore.
On the other hand, India is making its presence more evident. From 30 universities in the THE top 1000
universities in 2017, the number has risen to 33 – 11 times more than that of Pakistan. Overall, India has
49 institutes named in the ranking that has been expanded to include more than 1250 top universities in
the world – Pakistan has only 9.

National & International MCQs (Oct-Nov 2018)

NATIONAL
1. The current Finance Minister of Punjab is ______.
(a) Anwarul Haq (b) Dr Shahbaz Gil
(c) Dr Murad Ras (d) Hashim Jawan Bakht
2. On World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index 2018, Pakistan has been ranked
______.
(a) 98 (b) 103
(c) 107 (d) 114
3. “The Power of Choice: Reproductive Rights and the Demographic Transition,” has been
published by the ______.
(a) IMF (b) UNDP
(c) WBG (d) HRCP
4. As per the latest UNDP report, annual population growth rate in Pakistan is ______.
(a) 2.4 percent (b) 2.7 percent
(c) 3.2 percent (d) 4.2 percent
5. Imran Ali, who was convicted of rape and murder of little girl Zainab in Kasur, was hanged on
______.
(a) Oct 16 (b) Oct 17
(c) Oct 18 (b) Oct 19
6. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) is headquartered in ______.
(a) Sukkur (b) Lahore
(c) Islamabad (d) Karachi
7. On Oct 19, an 11-member Pakistan Army team won gold medal for the fourth consecutive time in
the world’s toughest Cambrian Patrol competition held in ______, UK.
(a) North Sea (b) Wales
(c) Anglesey (d) Pumlumon
8. On Oct 19, Pakistan defeated ______ inflicting them their heaviest defeat in test cricket against
Pakistan – 373 runs.
(a) Australia (b) New Zealand
(c) Zimbabwe (d) Sri Lanka
9. On Oct 22, Lt Col (r) Hassan Immad Mohamedi was appointed the MD of ______.
(a) NBP (b) SUPARCO
(c) SECP (d) PTV
10. Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was established in
1981 on the advice of ______.
(a) Mr Sibte Nabi Naqvi (b) Dr I. H. Usmani
(c) Dr Abdus Salam (d) Dr Innas Ali
11. The Druzhba (Friendship) III is joint bilateral military exercise between Pakistan and ______.
(a) China (b) Russia
(c) Turkey (d) Iran
12. On Oct 23, Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq took oath as ______ CJ of the Lahore High Court.
(a) 47th (b) 59th
(c) 67 th (d) 74th
Read More: National & International MCQs (July-Aug
2018)
13. Baba Haider Zaman, who died on Oct 24, was a leader of ______.
(a) Tehreek-e-Sooba Hazara (b) Seraiki Sooba Tehreek
(c) ANP (d) JUI(F)
14. On Oct 25, Army defeated ______ on penalties to clinch the National Women’s Football
Championship.
(a) Balochistan (b) Wapda
(c) Punjab (d) NBP
15. On Oct 26, Dr Asad Majeed Khan was nominated as the next Pakistan Ambassador to ______.
(a) China (b) Japan
(c) USA (b) Turkey
16. On Oct 26, Asma Jahangir (late) became the ______ Pakistani woman to be awarded the United
Nations Human Rights Prize.
(a) First (b) Second
(d) Third (d) Fourth
17. On Oct 26, Prof Dr Mohammad Ali was appointed the Vice Chancellor of ______.
(a) QAU, Islamabad (b) AIOU, Islamabad
(c) PU, Lahore (d) GCU, Faisalabad
18. On Oct 26, the PCB formed a seven-member advisory cricket committee headed by ______.
(a) Wasim Akram (b) Mohsin Khan
(c) Mudassar Nazar (d) Haroon Rasheed
19. On Oct 28, Pakistan and ______ were declared joint winners of the Asian Champions Trophy
2018.
(a) Indonesia (b) Japan
(c) India (d) Malaysia
20. ______ Abu Bakar Mahmood won the Emerging Player of the Tournament award at the Asian
Champions Trophy 2018.
(a) Bangladesh’s (b) India’s
(c) Malaysia’s (d) Pakistan’s
21. Moazzam Ahmed Khan is Pakistan’s current ambassador to ______.
(a) Norway (b) USA
(c) Sweden (d) UAE
22. On Oct 28, Pakistan formally signed ‘participation contract’ with Expo 2020 authorities that will
be held in ______.
(a) Riyadh (b) Jeddah
(c) Dubai (d) Abu Dhabi
23. Pakistan Citizens’ Portal (PCP) was launched on ______.
(a) Oct 26 (b) Oct 28
(c) Oct 30 (d) Oct 31
24. On Oct 30, the government appointed ______ the chairperson of Benazir Income Support Programme.
(a) Dr Adeeb Rizvi (b) Dr Sania Nishtar
(c) Seemi Ezdi (d) Andaleeb Abbas
25. Pakistan’s first woman cardiologist is ______.
(a) Dr Sania Nishtar (b) Dr Seemi Jamali
(c) Dr Esmat Umair (d) Dr Yasmin Rashid
26. On October 31, a ______ bench of the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of a
Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was convicted on a blasphemy charge.
(a) 2-member (b) 3-member
(c) 5-member (d) Full
27. The current President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) is______.
(a) Ali Ahmad Kurd (b) Amanullah Kanrani
(c) Zulfiqar Khosa (d) Hamid Khan
28. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) for the appointment of judges of the Supreme Court,
High Courts and the Federal Shariat Court, works under Article _______ of the Constitution
(a) 164 (3) (b) 175A
(c) 183 (d) 222
29. On Nov 01, the federal cabinet approved the name of Justice (retd.) Hasnat Ahmed as the
chairman of the _____ Wage Board.
(a) 5th (b) 6th
(c) 7th (d) 8th
30. On Nov 03, Pakistan and ______ signed 15 agreements and documents to deepen bilateral
cooperation in multiple spheres.
(a) IMF (b) UAE
(c) China (d) Saudi Arabia
31. On Nov 04, Pakistan’s Babar Azam broke the record of fastest to 1000 T20I runs, achieving the
feat in his ______ innings.
(a) 25th (b) 26th
(c) 27th (d) 29th
32. Veteran Kashmiri leader and chief of Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party Sardar Khalid Ibrahim died
on ______.
(a) Nov 01 (b) Nov 02
(c) Nov 04 (d) Nov 07
33. On Nov 05, the ______ launched the ‘Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge’ in Pakistan.
(a) UNESCO (b) UNICEF
(c) UNDP (d) UNEP
34. On Nov 05, Pakistan won a 4-year term for the Administrative Council of the ______-based
International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
(a) Geneva (b) Paris
(c) Berlin (d) Stockholm
35. On Nov 09, Pakistan’s first evening court was, which will work in ______, was inaugurated.
(a) Peshawar (b) Karachi
(c) Quetta (d) Lahore
36. On Nov 15, the International Institute for Justice Excellence named former Chief Justice of
Pakistan ______ as the recipient of the International Justice Excellence Award.
(a) Rana Bhagwan Das (b) Irshad Hassan Khan
(d) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (d) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani

International
1. On Oct 16, during a committee hearing on artificial intelligence (AI) and ‘the fourth industrial
revolution, a walking and talking robot named ______ appeared in Britain’s parliament for the first
time.
(a) PEPPER (b) ASIMO
(c) ATLAS (d) PETMAN
2. On Oct 16, ______ became the second African nation after Rwanda to achieve gender parity in its
cabinet
(a) Sudan (b) Ethiopia
(c) Eritrea (d) Kenya
3. Paul Allen and Bill Gates founded Microsoft on April 4, ______, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
(a) 1972 (b) 1975
(c) 1977 (d) 1983
4. The 14th edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup has been hosted by ______.
(a) Germany (b) India
(c) Australia (d) Japan
5. On Oct 17, Indian state Uttar Pradesh’s cabinet cleared the proposal to rename Allahabad
as______.
(a) Piyag (b) Prayag
(c) Illahabad (d) Prayagraj
6. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on ______.
(a) Oct 14 (b) Oct 15
(c) Oct 16 (d) Oct 17
7. Founded in 1951, the International Organisation for Migration is based in ______.
(a) Lisbon (b) Geneva
(c) Brussels (d) Strausberg
8. On Oct 17, Irish author Anna Burns won the prestigious 2018 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for her
novel ______.
(a) ‘Milkman’ (b) ‘The Overstory’
(c) ‘The Long Take’ (d) ‘The Mars Room’
9. Bhutan, a country of 800,000 people, is wedged between ______ and India.
(a) Bangladesh (b) China
(c) Myanmar (d) Nepal
10. Recently, ______ successfully tested the world’s largest unmanned transport drone.
(a) USA (b) Russia
(c) China (d) Japan
11. On Oct 17, the UN General Assembly unanimously approved a resolution that will enable ______
to chair Group of 77, a major group of developing countries, at the United Nations in 2019.
(a) Turkey (b) Palestine
(c) Egypt (d) India
12. Jean-Claude Juncker is the current president of ______.
(a) European Commission (b) European Parliament
(c) European Council (d) European Court of Human Rights
13. Donald Tusk is the current president of ______.
(a) European Court of Human Rights
(b) European Parliament
(c) European Commission
(d) European Council
14. ______ amphibious aircraft AG600, codenamed Kunlong, claimed to be the world’s largest, has
carried out its first take-off and landing on waters.
(a) US’s (b) Japan’s
(c) Germany’s (d) China’s
15. On ______, parliamentary polls, the third since the Taliban’s fall in 2001, were held in
Afghanistan.
(a) Oct 20 (b) Oct 22
(c) Oct 24 (d) Oct 26
16. On Oct 21, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appointed academic ______ the country’s new
economy and finance minister.
(a) Reza Salehi Amiri (b) Mahmoud Hojjati
(c) Farhad Dejpasand (d) Mahmoud Vaezi
17. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed by US President Ronald Reagan
and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, ______.
(a) 1982 (b) 1984
(c) 1986 (d) 1987
18. The Sittwe Port is a deepwater port at the mouth of the Kaladan River in______.
(a) Maldives (b) Myanmar
(c) Sri Lanka (d) India
19. Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura won the 2008 Nobel Prize in______.
(a) Physiology (b) Physics
(c) Chemistry (d) Peace
20. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) consists of ______ member states.
(a) 10 (b) 12
(c) 14 (d) 16
21. On Oct 23, China opened the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, which connects the Chinese
city of ______ to the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
(a) Nansha (b) Shenzhen
(c) Zhuhai (d) Yantian
22. On Oct 23, the United States, ______ and five other Gulf states sanctioned nine Taliban
functionaries.
(a) Jordan (b) Saudi Arabia
(c) Egypt (d) Yemen
23. Trident Juncture 18 was ______ biggest military exercises since the end of the Cold War.
(a) German Army’s (b) Nato’s
(c) US military’s (d) ISAF’s
24. The World Development Information Day (WDID) is observed every year on ______.
(a) Oct 20 (b) Oct 22
(c) Oct 24 (d) Oct 26
25. On Oct 25, ______ lawmakers unanimously elected Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first
female president.
(a) Kenyan (b) Eritrean
(c) Somali (d) Ethiopian
26. On Oct 25, the European Court of Human Rights rejected a plea by an ______ woman that her
conviction for blaspheming the Holy Prophet (PBUH) breached her freedom of speech.
(a) Swedish (b) Norwegian
(c) Austrian (d) French
27. The world’s oldest known intact shipwreck was recently discovered under the ______
(a) Red Sea (b) Black Sea
(c) Caspian Sea (d) Caribbean Sea
28. The world’s largest airport ‘Under One Roof’ has officially opened in ______.
(a) Istanbul (b) Beijing
(c) Abu Dhabi (d) Dubai
29. On Oct 31, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the world’s biggest statue to mark the
143rd birth anniversary of______.
(a) MK Gandhi (b) Vallabhbhai Patel
(c) Abul Kalam Azad (d) Jawaharlal Nehru
30. The World Vegan Day is observed every year on ______.
(a) Oct 28 (b) Oct 30
(c) Oct 31 (d) Nov 01
31. On Nov 03, Simone Biles, an ______ artistic gymnast, became the first-ever gymnast to win 13
world championship gold medals.
(a) American (b) British
(c) Belarusian (d) German
32. The theme of the United Nations World Cities Day 2018 was ______.
(a) Promoting a better urban future
(b) Innovative Governance, Open Cities
(c) Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities
(d) Better City, Better Life
33. The first WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health was held in ______.
(a) Rome (b) Canberra
(c) Lisbon (d) Geneva
34. The current President of International Boxing Association is ______.
(a) Thomas Bach (b) Gafur Rakhimov
(c) Anup Mishra (d) P S Bopanna
35. Chinese news agency ______ recently launched the world’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) news
anchor at the 5th World Internet Conference.
(a) Agenparl (b) Adnkronos
(c) EFE (d) Xinhua
36. The House of Representatives of the US Congress consists of____ members
(a) 397 (b) 435
(c) 454 (d) 538
37. Imelda Marcos is a former first lady, and currently a congresswoman, of ______.
(a) Cuba (b) Mexico
(c) Argentina (d) Philippines
38. ‘Statue of Unity’, the world’s ‘tallest statue’ has been designed by ______.
(a) N. N. Rimzon (b) Vivan Sundaram
(c) Ram V. Sutar (d) Jitish Kallat
39. The World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed every year on ______.
(a) Nov 08 (b) Nov 10
(c) Nov 12 (d) Nov 14
40. On Oct 13, ______ was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) in the
Asia-Pacific category.
(a) India (b) Pakistan
(c)Saudi Arabia (d) China
National & International MCQs (Nov-Dec 2018)
NATIONAL
1. On Nov 16, Pakistan’s 1st Austro Turf cricket stadium was inaugurated in Balochistan’s ______
city.
(a) Quetta (b) Chaman
(c) Kalat (d) Zhob
2. Rizwan Munir Bhutta, who passed away on Nov 16, was a former Olympian and a renowned
______.
(a) Hockey player (b) Cyclist
(c) Shooter (d) Runner
3. Tableeghi Jamaat emir Haji Abdul Wahab passed away on ______.
(a) Nov 16 (b) Nov 17
(c) Nov 18 (d) Nov 20
4. On Nov 18, defending champion ______ won the Thal desert race.
(a) Nadir Magsi (b) Qadir Nawaz
(c) Ali Sultan (d) Zafar Magsi
5. On Nov 19, the Centre and the provinces decided to form task forces to control______.
(a) Corruption (b) Street Crimes
(c) Money laundering (d) Population growth
6. On Nov 20, Pakistan Railways and the National Railway Administration of China signed an
agreement pertaining to doubling of the entire ML-1 track from Karachi to______.
(a) Multan (b) Peshawar
(c) Quetta (d) Ziarat
7. On Nov 20, the UNGA’s Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural
issues, passed ______ resolution on the right to self-determination.
(a) Sudan’s (b) Pakistan’s
(c) Norway’s (d) China’s
8. On Nov 20, Global Education Monitoring Report 2019 on migration, displacement and education:
“Building Bridges not Walls” was released by ______.
(a) UNESCO (b) UNICEF
(c) UNDP (d) ILO
9. Chinese consulate in Karachi was attacked on ______.
(a) Nov 23 (b) Nov 24
(c) Nov 26 (d) Nov 27
10. On Nov 23, ______ was appointed the President of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).
(a) Adnan Afridi (b) Arif Usmani
(c) Khalid Mirza (d) Asif Ashraf
11. The Farmers Associates of Pakistan is headquartered in ______.
(a) Islamabad (b) Multan
(c) Hyderabad (d) Lahore
12. On Nov 24, the ______ listed water crisis, unmanageable inflation, terrorist attacks, failure of
urban planning and critical infrastructure as immediate risks faced by Pakistan.
(a) Asian Development Bank (b) World Economic Forum
(c) International Monetary Fund (d) World Bank
13. On Nov 24, ______ was elected as the Chairperson of the Softball Federation of Pakistan .
(a) Amina Wali (b) Tehmina Asif
(c) Hajra Khan (d) Samina Baig
14. On Nov 25, ______ was appointed Member NEPRA for Sindh province.
(a) Murtaza Wahab (b) Sassi Palejo
(c) Rafique Ahmed Shaikh (d) Shahid Ashraf
15. On Nov 25, the Human Resources Committee of the World Bank Board elected Pakistan’s
Executive Director ______ as its Chairman for a period of two years.
(a) Waqar ul Islam (b) Sadiq Saeed
(d) Shahid Ashraf Tarar (c) Dr Tauqir Shah
16. The 11th International Urdu Conference was held in______.
(a) Hyderabad (b) Lahore
(c) Karachi (d) Islamabad
17. The Pakistan-UK Education Gateway Program was launched at the HEC Secretariat on ______.
(a) Nov 24 (b) Nov 26
(c) Nov 28 (d) Nov 30
18. On Nov 27, Punjab Police SSP ______ featured in the IACP’s 40 Under 40 Awardees 2018.
(a) Shujaat Ali (b) Rizwan Gondal
(c) Muntazir Ali (d) Faisal Mukhtar
19. On Nov 27, Jam Mashooq, an adviser to former prime minister ______, passed away.
(a) Zafrullah Jamali (b) Benazir Bhutto
(c) Nawaz Sharif (d) Shaukat Aziz
20. On Nov 27, ______ won the 33rd President of Pakistan Gold Medal Golf Championship.
(a) Asad Khan (b) M. Shabir
(c) Talal Rahi (d) M. Akram Ali
21. On Nov 27, ______ retained the Pepsi-PCB Under-16 Cricket Stars Pentangular Cup crown.
(a) Punjab (b) Sindh
(c) KP (d) HBL
22. On Nov 28, PM Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor in Punjab’s district
______.
(a) Nankana Sahib (b) Narowal
(c) Sialkot (d) Sheikhupura
23. On Nov 28, Justice Athar Minallah took over as the chief justice of the ______ High Court.
(a) Sindh (b) Peshawar
(c) Islamabad (d) Lahore
24. Eminent writer Altaf Fatima breathed her last on ______.
(a) Nov 21 (b) Nov 24
(c) Nov 28 (d) Nov 29
25. ______ is the first city in interior Sindh to have a satellite NICVD center.
(a) Tando Allahyar (b) Larkana
(c) Mirpur Khas (d) Tando Jam
26. On Dec 02, ______ were crowned champions of the 12th National Women Karate Championship.
(a) WAPDA (b) Balochistan
(c) Punjab (d) Army
27. The current chairman of the Central Selection Board is ______.
(a) Minister for Interior (b) Chairman Planning Commission
(c) Chairman FPSC (d) Principal Secretary to PM
28. Sindhi Culture Day is celebrated on ______ Sunday of December.
(a) First (b) Second
(c) Third (d) Fourth
29. On Dec 04, Prime Minister Imran Khan appointed ______ the Special Adviser to Prime Minister
on Youth Affairs.
(a) Usman Dar (b) Ali Tareen
(c) Zulfi Bukhari (d) Mohsin Dar
30. The dead body of martyred police officer Mohammad Tahir Khan Dawar, who was serving as SP
Rural Peshawar, was found in ______ district of Afghanistan.
(a) Kabul (b) Dur Baba
(c) Jalalabad (d) Bihsud
31. On Dec 04, the 10th round of Pak-Iran Bilateral Political Consultations was held in ______.
(a) Zahidan (b) Ankara
(c) Islamabad (d) Tehran
32. On Dec 05, a symposium on population growth, which was called by Chief Justice of Pakistan
Justice Saqib Nisar, was held in ______.
(a) Peshawar (b) Islamabad
(c) Lahore (d) Karachi
33. A report titled “Glass Half Full: Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia” has been released by
______.
(a) AIIB (b) World Bank
(c) ADB (d) IMF
34. On Dec 06, Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah broke an 82-year-old record of being the fastest
cricketer to take 200 Test wickets, which was set up by ______ leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett.
(a) Australian (b) English
(c) South African (d) New Zealander
35. On Dec 07, Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai was awarded the 2018 Gleitsman Award by the
______ University, for her work on promoting girls’ education.
(a) Cambridge (b) Oxford
(c) Stanford (d) Harvard
36. On Dec 08, Mustafa Faran Baig of Pakistan created a new Asian record in Dead Lift with 232.5kg
in the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship that was held in ______.
(a) China (b) India
(c) Mongolia (d) Pakistan
37. In Dec 2018, Warrior-VI 2018, the sixth joint exercise of the series was held between Pakistan
and ______ .
(a) China (b) Turkey
(c) Afghanistan (d) Australia
38. On Dec 10, the CNS Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi inaugurated Pakistan Maritime Security
Agency (PMSA) Base at______.
(a) Gwadar (b) Posrt Qasim
(c) Keti Bandar (d) None of these
39. On Dec 11, ______ became the first female Additional Inspector General (Addl IG) of Police in
the history of Pakistan.
(a) Helena Saeed (b) Ammara Athar
(c) Saira Rahat (d) Sumera Azam
40. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman ______ was unanimously elected as the
next head of South Asian Telecommunication Regulators Council (SATRC) on ______.
(a) Dec 12 (b) Dec 13
(c) China (d) Dec 15

International
1. The United Nations International Day for Tolerance is observed on ____.
(a) 14 Nov (b) 15 Nov
(c) 16 Nov (d) 18 Nov
2. On Nov 16, the US dropped its practice of abstaining in to vote an annual UN resolution
condemning Israel’s occupation of ______.
(a) Gaza (b) Golan Heights
(c) West Bank (d) None of these
3. The kilogram is defined as the mass of a cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy nicknamed Le Grand
K kept in a high-security vault in ______.
(a) New York, USA (b) Paris, France
(c) London, England (d) Berlin, Germany
4. Le Grand K has been the world’s sole true kilogram since ______.
(a) 1889 (b) 1896
(c) 1916 (d) 1924
5. The brutal regime of Khmer Rouge ruled ______ from 1975 to 1979.
(a) Thailand (b) Cambodia
(c) Vietnam (d) Laos
6. The headquarters of the African Union is in Addis Ababa, _____ capital.
(a) South Africa’s (b) Algeria’s
(c) Ethiopia’s (d) Nigeria’s
7. On Nov 17, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took office as the president of ______.
(a) Algeria (b) Indonesia
(c) Maldives (d) Senegal
8. On Nov 18, the United States granted ______ a waiver from Iran sanctions on account of Iranian
nuclear programme for some time.
(a) India (b) China
(c) Turkey (d) Afghanistan
9. European ministers signed off on Britain’s draft divorce deal on ______.
(a) Nov 17 (b) Nov 19
(c) Nov 20 (d) Nov 22
10. On Nov 19, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, ______
resigned.
(a) Heikki Holmas (b) Achim Steiner
(c) Erik Solheim (d) Jens Stoltenberg
11. “Foal Eagle,” one of the world’s largest field exercises involving nearly 250,000 soldiers, is held
between USA and ______.
(a) Canada (b) South Korea
(c) Germany (d) Nato
12. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the official name of ______.
(a) Paris Accord (b) Kyoto Protocol
(c) Iran Nuclear Deal (d) US-Canada-Mexico trade deal
13. The Oxford Dictionaries has chosen____its ‘Word of the Year 2018’.
(a) Russophobia (b) Toxic
(c) Justice (d) Disinformation
14. On Nov 23, ______ Nayeem Hasan became the youngest-ever player to take 5 wickets on debut.
(a) Afghan (b) Bangladeshi
(c) Pakistani (d) Indian
15. ______ is the first Bangladeshi bowler to take 200 Test wickets.
(a) Soumya Sarkar (b) Shakib Al Hasan
(c) Nasir Hossain (d) Mashrafe Mortaza
16. The current INTERPOL President Kim Jong-yang belongs to ______.
(a) South Korea (b) North Korea
(c) Philippines (d) Japan
17. On Nov 24, ____ Mary Kom became the most successful female boxer in world championships
history after she clinched her sixth gold medal.
(a) India’s (b) France’s
(c) Sweden’s (d) Italy’s
18. On Nov 25, Australia defeated ______ to win the Women’s World T20 that was held in Antigua.
(a) West Indies (b) England
(b) India (c) Pakistan
19. The Black Sea is a body of water and marginal sea of the _____ Ocean.
(a) Indian (b) Atlantic
(c) Arctic (d) Pacific
20. On Nov 27, ______ appointed Maj. Gen. Alenka Ermenc as chief of the country’s army.
(a) Slovenia (b) Slovakia
(c) Norway (d) Sweden
21. The “Me Too” movement was founded by ______.
(a) Sherry Marts (b) Reid Hoffman
(c) Tarana Burke (d) None of these
22. The National Green Tribunal is the environmental watchdog of ______.
(a) Bangladesh (b) India
(c) Singapore (d) Indonesia
23. Ukraine imposed martial law in its border areas for 30 days on ______.
(a) Nov 24 (b) Nov 27
(c) Nov 29 (d) Nov 30
24. COP 24 climate summit was held in ______, Poland.
(a) Warsaw (b) Kraków
(c) Katowice (d) Zakopane
25. World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency concerned with the international
collection of meteorological data, is headquartered in ______.
(a) Geneva (b) Paris
(c) Nairobi (d) New York
26. On Nov 29, Salome Zurabishvili was elected as the first woman president of ______.
(a) Laos (b) Georgia
(c) Malta (d) Slovakia
27. The trilateral US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, was signed on ______.
(a) Nov 26 (b) Nov 28
(c) Nov 30 (d) Dec 01
28. On Dec 01, ______ surpassed Apple as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.
(a) Microsoft (b) Amazon
(c) Facebook (d) Google
29. Satya Nadella, the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, belongs to ______.
(a) Georgia (b) Serbia
(c) India (d) Kenya
30. On Nov 30, George HW Bush, the ______ president of the United States and the father of the
43rd, died.
(a) 38th (b) 39th
(c) 40th (d) 41st
31. The theme for International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2018 was ______.
(a) Orange the World: #HearMeToo
(b) Orange the World: #SupportMeToo
(c) Orange the World: #ListenMeToo
(d) Orange the World: #HelpMeToo
32. As per the Global Passport Index 2018, ______ has the strongest passport that now ranks first
globally.
(a) USA (b) Switzerland
(c) UAE (d) Mauritius
33. On Dec 01, the commander of US Navy’s______, Vice Admiral Scott Stearney, was found dead.
(a) 4th fleet (b) 5th fleet
(c) 6th fleet (d) 7th fleet
34. On Dec 04, Luka Modric of ______ won the 2018 Ballon d’Or.
(a) Argentina (b) Sweden
(c) Croatia (d) France
35. On Dec 04, ______ Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural women’s Ballon d’Or award.
(a) Brazil’s (b) Norway’s
(c) France’s (d) Australia’s
36. Dec 05, China’s President Xi Jinping signed agreements to link ______ to Beijing’s Belt and
Road Initiative.
(a) Portugal (b) Laos
(c) Saudi Arabia (d) Niger
37. On Dec 07, President Trump nominated State Department spokeswoman ______ as US
ambassador to the United Nations.
(a) Samantha Power (b) Michele Sison
(c) Heather Nauert (d) John Kirby
38. On Dec 08, former _____ president Belisario Betancur, who steered his country through one of
its most turbulent periods in the 1980s, died.
(a) Georgian (b) Cambodian
(c) Colombian (d) Vietnamese
39. On Dec 10, the world’s first state-of-the-art digital courtroom was unveiled in______.
(a) Riyadh (b) Dubai
(c) Jeddah (d) Abu Dhabi
40. On Dec 10, ______ was admitted as a full member to the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force
(FATF).
(a) Egypt (b) Qatar
(c) Israel (d) UAE
41. Yellow Vests, or Yellow Jackets, movement has rocked ______ with prolonged protests.
(a) Germany (b) Italy
(c) France (d) Denmark
42. Lapis Lazuli corridor is a new trade route aimed at giving ______ direct access to Central Asia
and Europe.
(a) Pakistan (b) Afghanistan
(c) India (d) Iran
43. On Dec 14, ______ passed laws to build an army, asserting its statehood.
(a) Czech Republic (b) Costa Rica
(c) Kosovo (d) Iceland
44. On Dec 15, Sri Lanka defeated ______ to clinch the Asia Cup Emerging Teams title.
(a) India (b) Afghanistan
(c) Bangladesh (d) Hong Kong

National & International MCQs (Jan – Feb 2019)

National
1. On Jan 16, Prime Minister Imran Khan constituted an eight-member ministerial committee to
negotiate a long-term Strategic Economic Framework arrangement with_____.
(a) Saudi Arabia (b) Turkey
(c) Qatar (d) Malaysia
2. On Jan 16, Prof Dr Zaheer Ahmed Siddiqui, the first registrar of GCU, Lahore, from 2002 to ______
, died.
(a) 2004 (b) 2006
(c) 2007 (d) 2008
3. The Supreme Court extended its powers to Gilgit-Baltistan through a written order dated ______.
(a) Jan 17 (b) Jan 18
(c) Jan 19 (d) Jan 20
4. The legendary Pakistani cricketer, Abdul Hafeez Kardar, is affectionately known as ______.
(a) The Skipper (b) Little Master
(c) The Captain (d) The Cricketer
5. The current CM Sindh is ______.
(a) Qaim Ali Shah (b) Murad Ali Shah
(c) Siraj Durrani (d) Saeed Ghani
6. On ______, PM Imran Khan ordered the establishment of a CPEC Business Advisory Council
comprising leading Pakistani business executives.
(a) Jan 15 (b) Jan 16
(c) Jan 17 (d) Jan 18
7. On Jan 18, K-Electric appointed ______ its new chairman.
(a) Hasan Mujtaba (b) Ikram Sehgal
(c) Ali Hashwani (d) Tayyab Tareen
8. On Jan 18, the government issued NOC regarding appointment of Gen (Retd) Raheel Sharif as
head of a Saudi Arabia-led, ______-member Islamic Military Alliance.
(a) 41 (b) 47
(c) 49 (d) 51
9. On Jan 18, Maria Espinosa, president of the United Nations ______ started her 5-day visit to
Pakistan.
(a) General Assembly
(b) Security Council
(c) Human Rights Commission
(d) None of these
10. On Jan 18, the University of Lahore won the fifth All Pakistan HEC Intervarsity Men’s Ski
Championship held in _____ Valley.
(a) Shigar (b) Naltar
(c) Hunza (d) Gojal
11. The picturesque Naltar Valley, which is famous for its 7 colourful lakes and natural ski resort, is
located in GB’s district ______.
(a) Ghanche (b) Skardu
(c) Ghizer (d) Gilgit
12. The tragic incident of killing of innocent people in a CTD operation in Sahiwal occurred on
______.
(a) Jan 18 (b) Jan 19
(c) Jan 20 (d) Jan 21
13. On Jan 20, Pakistan defeated ______ to win the Asian Junior Squash Team Championships
(a) China (b) India
(c) Japan (d) Malaysia
14. On Jan 21, Prime Minister Imran Khan was named in the list of top 100 Global Thinkers by the
______ magazine.
(a) Foreign Affairs (b) The Atlantic
(c) Foreign Policy (d) Der Spiegel
15. On Jan 21, the University of Sargodha signed an MoU with the International Institute for Iranian
Studies (Rasanah) a leading ______ think tank.
(a) Turkish (b) Iranian
(d) Indonesian (d) Saudi
16. On Jan 22, the French government announced to provide a loan of € 130 million for the ______
Sustainable Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project.
(a) Quetta (b) Karachi
(c) Peshawar (d) Sialkot
17. On Jan 22, ______ Ali Haider clinched the Jubilee Insurance U-21 National Championship.
(a) Sindh’s (b) Army’s
(c) Balochistan’s (d) Punjab’s
18. On Jan 23, the Supreme Court upheld the 5-year imprisonment of ______, who stabbed Khadija
Siddiqui 23 times nearly three years ago.
(a) Ali Mubeen (b) Shah Hussain
(c) Hussain Shahid (d) Imad Wali
19. On ______, Finance Minister Asad Umar introduced to the National Assembly the Finance
Supplementary (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2019.
(a) Jan 20 (b) Jan 21
(c) Jan 22 (d) Jan 23
20. On Jan 24, the federal cabinet approved formation of the ____ Media Regulatory Authority that
envisages merger of all bodies regulating media, including print and electronic.
(a) National (b) Federal
(c) Pakistan (d) None of these
21. On Jan 24, Pakistan army announced successful ‘training launch’ of ballistic missile______.
(a) Ababeel (b) Nasr
(c) Ghauri (d) Hatf-VI
22. Roohi Bano, arguably the best female TV artiste Pakistan has ever produced, died on ______.
(a) Jan 24 (b) Jan 25
(c) Jan 26 (d) Jan 28
23. On Jan 25, the government announced a new visa policy encouraging tourists from ______
countries to avail themselves of visa-on-arrival facility and providing e-visa to citizens of ______
countries.
(a) 40,130 (b) 50, 175
(c) 60,120 (d) 63,111
24. On Jan 26, Pakistan was elected as the ______ of UN Environment’s Forum of Ministers of Asia
Pacific.
(a) Chair (b) President
(c) Vice Chair (d) None of these
25. On Jan 26, two members of the ECP from ______ retired.
(a) Sindh & KP (b) KP & Punjab
(c) Punjab & Sindh
(d) Sindh & Balochistan
26. On Jan 27, a new report of the ______ entitled “Pakistan Getting More from Water” said Pakistan
gets a poor economic return from its significant water resources.
(a) ADB (b) World Bank
(c) IMF (d) United Nations
27. On Jan 28, Suman Kumari Bodani became Pakistan’s ____ Hindu woman to have been appointed
a civil judge.
(a) First (b) Second
(c) Third (d) Fourth
28. On Jan 29, the EIU’s Democracy Index 2018 ranked Pakistan as a hybrid regime, ranking just
above the authoritarian ______.
(a) South Sudan (b) Chad
(c) Myanmar (d) Bhutan
29. Ambassador Zamir Kabulov is Russia’s current Special Representative on ______.
(a) Afghanistan (b) Pakistan
(c) India (d) None of these
30. On the ‘Corruption Perceptions Index 2018’, Pakistan has been ranked ______ out of 180
countries.
(a) 117 (b) 119
(c) 129 (d) 134
31. The government launched ‘Pakistan Banao Certificates’ on _____.
(a) Jan 29 (b) Jan 31
(c) Feb 02 (d) Feb 05
32. On Feb 01, Sayed Zahid Hussain is the incumbent Consultant to President on ______ Affairs.
(a) Political (b) Economic
(c) Legal (d) Kashmir
33. The Pak-China fibre optic is an 820-kilometer-long fibre optic cable project from ______ to
Khunjerab.
(a) Peshawar (b) Rawalpindi
(c) Quetta (d) Havelian
34. On Feb 03, Pakistan’s world-record run of _____ straight Twenty20 series victories came to an
end.
(a) 10 (b) 11
(c) 12 (d) 15
35. On Feb 05, Rashid Suhrawardy, the only son of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, former ______ of
Pakistan, died.
(a) President (b) Governor-General
(c) Chief Justice (d) Prime Minister
36. On Feb 06, ______ signed an agreement with Pakistan on offshore oil and gas exploration
activities.
(a) Russia (b) Saudi Arabia
(c) Qatar (d) Turkey
37. On______, the multinational maritime exercise AMAN-2019 commenced in Karachi.
(a) Feb 04 (b) Feb 06
(c) Feb 08 (d) Feb 10
38. Muhammad Naeem Khan is the current IGP ______.
(a) KP (b) Punjab
(c) Balochistan (d) Sindh
39. On Feb 11, Pakistan women defeated ______ women by four wickets and claimed the series 2-
1.
(a) South Africa (b) Nepal
(c) Australia (d) West Indies
40. Pakistan Women’s Day was observed on ______.
(a) Feb 12 (b) Feb 13
(c) Feb 14 (d) Feb 15
41. On Feb 12, ______ was appointed the President NBP.
(a) Shams Raza (b) Arif Usmani
(c) Hussain Lawai (d) Saeed Khan
42. The Lahore High Court granted bail to Shahbaz Sharif on ______.
(a) Feb 12 (b) Feb 13
(c) Feb 14 (d) Feb 15

International
1. On Jan 16, the ICC named India’s ______ as its new CEO.
(a) Mohammad Azharuddin (b) Shashank Manohar
(c) Manu Sawhney (d) Ajay Shukla
2. On Jan 16, the world’s first television channel dedicated to human rights was launched in ______.
(a) New Jersey (b) London
(c) Paris (d) Geneva
3. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was born in the city of Louisville, in ______ state of the USA.
(a) Delaware (b) Kentucky
(c) Ohio (d) Los Angeles
4. On Jan 19, Andry Rajoelina was inaugurated as the President of ______.
(a) Madagascar (b) Cuba
(c) Venezuela (d) Bolivia
5. On Jan 20, the world’s oldest man Masazo Nonaka, who was born in______ died.
(a) 1902 (b) 1905
(c) 1908 (d) 1910
6. On Jan 22, ______ became the first player to win 3 major ICC awards.
(a) M. Shami (b) Rohit Sharma
(c) Virat Kohli (d) MS Dhoni
7. On Jan 22, ______ was named Cricketer of the Year, clinching the Sir Garfield Trophy.
(a) Steve Smith (b) Hashim Amla
(c) Virat Kohli (d) Quinton de Kock
8. On Jan 23, ______ announced that its prototype ‘flying car’ has completed its first successful test
flight.
(a) Boeing (b) Airbus
(c) Embraer (d) Tupoloev
9. Juan Guaidó is the self-proclaimed president of ______.
(a) Brazil (b) Venezuela
(c) Nicaragua (d) Cuba
10. On Jan 25, Donald Trump reached a deal with congressional leaders to reopen the US federal
government after a record-breaking shutdown that lasted for ______ days.
(a) 26 (b) 29
(c) 34 (d) 39
11. Yanghee Lee is UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in _____.
(a) Syria (b) Myanmar
(c) Yemen (d) Kashmir
12. On Jan 25, the European Commission added Saudi Arabia to its list of countries that pose a
threat to the bloc because of lax controls against terrorism financing and money laundering.
(a) Turkey (b) Afghanistan
(c) Saudi Arabia (d) Pakistan
13. On Jan 26, a government-appointed panel recommended that Germany stop burning coal to
generate electricity by ______.
(a) 2030 (b) 2038
(c) 2045 (d) 2050
14. On Jan 27, Man Group announced to end its long-running sponsorship of ______ prestigious
Man Booker Prizes for Novels.
(a) USA’s (b) Britain’s
(c) France’s (d) Germany’s
15. The current US special envoy for Afghan peace is ______.
(a) John Bass (b) Zalmay Khalilzad
(c) Richard Olson (d) Paul W. Jones
16. Rami Al-Hamdallah, who tendered his resignation and that of his unity government on Jan 29,
was the Prime Minister of ______.
(a) Palestine (b) Qatar
(c) Bahrain (d) Lebanon
17. On Jan 29, India opened its first national film museum in ______.
(a) Mumbai (b) New Delhi
(c) Amritsar (d) Hyderabad
18. Gina Haspel is the incumbent chief of the ______.
(a) CFR (b) CIA
(b) FBI (c) None of these
19. On Jan 31, ______ installed a new king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, after the last
monarch abdicated in a historic first.
(a) Indonesia (b) Malaysia
(c) Chad (d) Kuwait
20. On Jan 31, ______, France and Germany launched a special payment mechanism that the EU
hopes will help save a nuclear deal with Iran by bypassing US sanctions.
(a) Britain (b) Greece
(c) Norway (d) Italy
21. ______ financial year runs from 1st April to 31st March of next year.
(a) Tajikistan’s (b) Afghanistan’s
(c) India’s (d) Pakistan’s
22. Saad Hariri is the Prime Minister of ______ while Michel Aoun is that country’s president.
(a) Bahrain (b) Iraq
(c) Lebanon (d) Jordan
23. On Feb 01, ______ won their first Asian Cup football.
(a) Saudi Arabia (b) Qatar
(c) China (d) Japan
24. Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the
Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, a.k.a. INF Treaty, was signed
on ______.
(a) 18 Dec 1986 (b) 20 Dec 1986
(c) 8 Dec 1987 (d) 28 Dec 1988
25. On Feb 02, Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani won ______ most valuable literary prize,
the Victorian Prize for Literature.
(a) Australia’s (b) Britain’s
(c) Germany’s (d) France’s
26. On Feb 02, the Central African Republic struck a peace deal with armed groups in ______.
(a) Addis Ababa (b) Khartoum
(c) Pretoria (d) Nairobi
27. On Feb 04, ______ and Egypt’s Al-Azhar Mosque and University signed a document on fighting
extremism.
(a) United Nations (b) Italy
(c) The Vatican (d) EU
28. On Feb 04, ______ reached an agreement with French authorities to settle 10 years of back taxes.
(a) Apple (b) Google
(c) Facebook (d) Yahoo
29. On Feb 05, Joram van Klaveren, a former ______ MP and right-hand man of anti-Islam politician
Geert Wilders, converted to Islam.
(a) Hungarian (b) Swedish
(c) Dutch (d) German
30. On Feb 06, Macedonia signed an ‘accession protocol’ to become NATO’s ______ member .
(a) 30th (b) 32nd
(c) 34th (d) 35th
31. On Feb 07, Donald Trump nominated former US Treasury official ______ to lead the World Bank.
(a) David Malpass (b) Nikki Haley
(c) Mark Green (d) None of these
32. On Feb 09, ______ was announced to be the third official language used in the Abu Dhabi court
system.
(a) Chinese (b) French
(c) Hindi (d) English
33. At present, the total number of banned outfits in Pakistan is ______.
(a) 52 (b) 67
(c) 79 (d) 87
34. The first ‘World Pulses Day’ was observed on ______.
(a) Feb 05 (b) Feb 10
(c) Feb 12 (d) Feb 14
35. The current Chairperson of the African Union is ______.
(a) Faiz El Saraj of Libya
(b) Paul Kagame of Rwanda
(c) Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt
(d) Moussa Faki of Chad
36. On Feb 10, World Government Summit opened in ______, UAE.
(a) Ajman (b) Dubai
(c) Sharjah (d) Abu Dhabi
37. Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, who commanded a mujahideen faction during the decade-long
insurgency against the Soviet Union, passed away on ______.
(a) Feb 11 (b) Feb 12
(c) Feb 13 (d) Feb 14
38. On Feb 13, ______ mobster Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman was convicted of crimes spanning a
quarter century.
(a) Columbian (b) Brazilian
(c) Mexican (d) Cuban
39. India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) faced biggest attack on them in Pulwama
(Kashmir) on _____.
(a) Feb 12 (b) Feb 13
(c) Feb 14 (d) Feb 15
40. On Feb 14, US-sponsored conference on Middle East security and peace opened in Warsaw, the
capital of ______.
(a) Vietnam (b) Finland
(c) Austria (d) Poland

National & International MCQs (Feb-March 2019)

 National
1. Akhtar Hussain Langove of ______ is the current chairman of the Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) in Balochistan provincial assembly.
(a) BNP-M (b) BAP
(c) JUI-F (d) PTI
2. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman arrived in Islamabad on his first official visit to
Pakistan on _____.
(a) Feb 16 (b) Feb 17
(c) Feb 18 (d) Feb 19
3. During Prince Mohammad’s visit, 7 MoUs worth _____ of investment were signed between the
two countries.
(a) $15 billion (b) $18billion
(c) $20 billion (d) $25billion
4. On Feb 18, Saudi Crown Prince announced to establish a health centre in ______, the hometown
of a Pakistani hero Farman Ali Khan.
(a) Haripur (b) Charsadda
(c) Mardan (d) Swat
5. On Feb 18, the FBR placed the revised Convention on Avoidance of Double Taxation with ______,
enabling both sides for access of information on banking and financial details.
(a) Sweden (b) Switzerland
(c) UK (d) Panama
6. On Feb 18, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was conferred ______, Pakistan’s highest
civil award.
(a) Nishan-e-Pakistan
(b) Sitara-e-Pakistan
(c) Hilal-e-Pakistan
(d) Tamgha-e-Pakistan
7. On Feb 19, the 8th ROPME Sea Area Hydrographic Commission (RSAHC) meeting started in
______.
(a) Karachi (b) Beijing
(c) Islamabad (d) Shanghai
8. RSAHC, a body established, in 2000, by the International Hydrographic Organisation, has ______
members.
(a) 4 (b) 5
(c) 6 (d) 7
9. The current Chairman of RSAHC, which includes North Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Hormuz
Strait is ___.
(a) Pakistan (b) Oman
(c) Bahrain (d) Qatar
10. On Feb 19, ______ signed a partnership with the UNDP and the WFP to contribute $10.6 million
to help fight malnutrition; improve livelihoods and increase resilience to natural disasters in Sindh,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
(a) Australia (b) Italy
(c) Switzerland (d) Japan
11. On Feb 20, Shakirullah, a Pakistani prisoner who belonged to the city of ______, was lynched at
a jail in Indian state of Rajasthan.
(a) Daska (b) Sheikhupura
(c) Karachi (d) Faisalabad