#1021

Which organization's 'CHG' (Council of Heads of Government) meeting was hosted by Pakistan in October 2024, attended by Central Asian leaders?

(a) SAARC

(b) Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

(c) G20

(d) UN Security Council

Explanation: Pakistan hosted the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad in October 2024. This was a major diplomatic success, bringing together leaders from Russia, China, and the Central Asian Republics to discuss regional stability and economic integration.

#1022

In 2024, Pakistan launched a 'Special Representative for Central Asia' office within the Foreign Office to focus on:

(a) Elections

(b) Regional Connectivity and Transit Trade

(c) Sports only

(d) Visa processing for tourists only

Explanation: To institutionalize the 'Geo-economics' shift, a dedicated office was empowered to coordinate all aspects of the 'Look Central Asia' policy. This office works closely with the SIFC and the Ministry of Commerce to fast-track railway and road projects.

#1023

In 2024, Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement for joint production in which industrial sector?

(a) Agricultural Machinery (Tractors)

(b) Smartphone manufacturing

(c) Aircraft building

(d) Solar panel glass

Explanation: Uzbekistan has a robust agricultural machinery sector. In 2024, an agreement was reached to set up a joint venture in Pakistan to assemble Uzbek tractors, helping to modernize Pakistan's farming sector as part of the Green Pakistan Initiative.

#1024

Which Pakistani airline resumed direct flights between Lahore and Tashkent in 2023-2024 to facilitate business travel?

(a) Airblue

(b) Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)

(c) Serene Air

(d) Uzbekistan Airways (only)

Explanation: Restoring air connectivity is essential for the 'Look Central Asia' policy. PIA resumed flights to Tashkent to cater to the growing number of businessmen and tourists, complementing the existing services by Uzbekistan Airways.

#1025

The 'one-document regime' implemented by Pakistan in 2024 at its western borders has what impact on Central Asian trade?

(a) Bans all Central Asian goods

(b) Facilitates formal and documented trade while curbing smuggling

(c) Forces everyone to use camels

(d) Only applies to tourists

Explanation: By requiring valid passports and visas (one-document regime), Pakistan is moving toward a more regulated and transparent trade environment at the Torkham and Chaman borders. This helps ensure that Central Asian transit trade is handled through legal, documented channels, reducing revenue leakages.

#1026

In late 2024, Pakistan and Turkmenistan signed an MoU on 'Cyber Security' to protect:

(a) Social media accounts only

(b) Regional energy infrastructure and pipeline control systems

(c) Gaming servers

(d) Personal laptops

Explanation: With the increasing digitalization of the TAPI project and regional electricity grids, cybersecurity has become a strategic priority. The 2024 agreement focuses on protecting critical energy infrastructure from digital threats and sabotage.

#1027

What is the primary role of 'Barter Trade' in Pakistan's 2024-2025 strategy with Central Asian states?

(a) To ban currency

(b) To bypass international banking sanctions and manage foreign exchange shortages

(c) To return to the stone age

(d) To avoid taxes

Explanation: Due to dollar shortages and banking hurdles in the region, Pakistan has legalized barter trade with countries like Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan/Central Asia. This allows Pakistani businesses to trade items like textiles for Central Asian energy or minerals without the need for hard currency.

#1028

The 2024-2025 relationship between Pakistan and Central Asia is best summarized as shifting from:

(a) Religious to secular

(b) Security-centric to Geo-economic and Connectivity-focused

(c) War to Peace only

(d) Agriculture to Industry only

Explanation: Moving away from the 'Strategic Depth' doctrines of the past, Pakistan now views Central Asia through the lens of 'Geo-economics.' The current strategy focuses on becoming a 'land-bridge' that links the massive markets of Eurasia with the Indian Ocean seaports.

#1029

In the 2024-2025 context, Pakistan's official stance on resuming trade with India is conditioned upon:

(a) The sharing of nuclear data

(b) The reversal of India's August 2019 decision on Kashmir

(c) A joint military parade

(d) The construction of a new dam

Explanation: As of late 2025, Pakistan maintains that any normalization of ties, including the resumption of bilateral trade and diplomatic dialogue, is impossible until India revisits its 2019 decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad views this as a prerequisite for a level playing field in any future negotiations.

#1030

In October 2024, the Foreign Minister of India visited Islamabad for the first time in nine years to attend which summit?

(a) SAARC Summit

(b) SCO Council of Heads of Government

(c) OIC Meeting

(d) G20 Health Summit

Explanation: S. Jaishankar visited Islamabad in October 2024 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting. While no formal bilateral talks on Kashmir were held, his presence was significant as it was the first such visit by an Indian Foreign Minister since 2015, highlighting the role of multilateralism in regional engagement.

#1031

Which organization's report in 2024 highlighted that 'internet shutdowns' in Kashmir have cost the local economy billions of dollars?

(a) The World Bank

(b) Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)

(c) Internet Society / Access Now

(d) The Election Commission

Explanation: Groups like 'Access Now' have documented that the prolonged and frequent internet shutdowns in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019 are among the longest in history. These shutdowns are cited as a major barrier to the fundamental right to information and have severely hampered education and digital business in the region.

#1032

Which Pakistani official visited the UN in late 2024 to reiterate that 'Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of Partition'?

(a) The Prime Minister

(b) The Foreign Minister

(c) The Permanent Representative to the UN

(d) The Chairman of the Senate

Explanation: Ambassador Munir Akram and other high-ranking officials consistently use the UN General Assembly and Security Council platforms to reiterate that the Kashmir dispute remains the oldest item on the UN's agenda and is the 'unfinished business' of the 1947 partition.

#1033

Which Indian project on the Chenab River has been referred to the 'Neutral Expert' and the 'Court of Arbitration' in 2023-2024?

(a) Baglihar Dam

(b) Ratle Hydroelectric Plant

(c) Tarbela Dam

(d) Mangla Dam

Explanation: Pakistan has raised serious objections to the design of the Ratle (and Kishanganga) projects. In 2023, the World Bank allowed for the simultaneous activation of two different processes—Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration—to resolve these long-standing water security disputes.

#1034

Who was the 'Caretaker Prime Minister' of Pakistan in 2023-2024 who oversaw the transition to the new parliament?

(a) Justice (R) Nasirul Mulk

(b) Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar

(c) Shahbaz Sharif

(d) Nawaz Sharif

Explanation: Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar served as the 8th caretaker Prime Minister. During his tenure, he continued Pakistan's consistent policy on Kashmir, including highlighting the issue during his address to the UN General Assembly in September 2023.

#1035

The '26th Constitutional Amendment' in Pakistan (2024) primarily focused on which area of governance, reflecting the state's internal legal evolution?

(a) Local Government reforms

(b) Judicial reforms and Constitutional Benches

(c) Abolishing the Senate

(d) Direct election of the President

Explanation: The 26th Amendment was a significant constitutional update that established Constitutional Benches in the Supreme Court and High Courts. It also changed the process of appointing the Chief Justice, reflecting a shift in how Pakistan's legal and judicial framework interprets constitutional supremacy.

#1036

In the 2024-2025 period, the majority of 'informal' trade between Pakistan and India is routed through which third country?

(a) Afghanistan

(b) United Arab Emirates (Dubai)

(c) China

(d) Iran

Explanation: Due to the suspension of direct bilateral trade since 2019, most essential goods and commercial trade are routed through Dubai and other third countries. This 'circular trade' is significantly more expensive but continues to fulfill regional demand in both nations.

#1037

The 2024-2025 economic strategy under the SIFC views 'Nuclear Energy' as a way to achieve:

(a) High-cost power

(b) Long-term affordable and sustainable industrial growth

(c) Banning the IMF

(d) Moving the capital to Karachi

Explanation: The SIFC's energy pillar focuses on reducing the cost of doing business. By investing in large-scale nuclear projects like C-5, Pakistan aims to provide cheap, stable electricity to its special economic zones (SEZs), making its exports more competitive globally.

#1038

In March 2024, a deadly attack in Besham targeted engineers from which country, creating a major security challenge for Pakistan's foreign policy?

(a) United States

(b) China

(c) Russia

(d) Japan

Explanation: The attack on Chinese engineers working on the Dasu hydropower project in Besham was a severe blow to the security environment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It forced the Pakistani government to further tighten the Special Security Division's (SSD) protocols and reassure Beijing of the safety of its nationals, which is vital for CPEC Phase II investments.

#1039

What is the name of the new counter-terrorism campaign launched by the Pakistani government in June 2024?

(a) Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad

(b) Operation Azm-e-Istehkam

(c) Operation Sentinel

(d) Operation Rah-e-Haq

Explanation: Operation Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolve for Stability) was approved by the Apex Committee on the National Action Plan in mid-2024. This campaign is not just a military offensive but an integrated national effort combining intelligence-based operations with socio-economic measures to eliminate the re-emerging threat of TTP and other extremist groups.

#1040

The 'One Document Regime,' implemented by Pakistan in 2024 at its western borders, requires Afghan nationals to possess what for entry?

(a) Only a Tazkira (local ID)

(b) A valid Passport and Visa

(c) A letter from a tribal elder

(d) A special border pass

Explanation: To curb illegal crossings and smuggling, Pakistan ended the decades-old practice of allowing local tribes to cross the border on local IDs. In 2024, the state strictly implemented the 'One Document Regime,' mandating valid passports and visas for all travelers. This move is part of the broader policy to secure the Durand Line and document all entries to prevent militant infiltration.

April 2024 Current Affairs MCQs & Solutions