The fifth Heart of Asia: Istanbul Process Ministerial meeting was held in Islamabad on 9 December 2015. Where was the fourth meeting held?
- (A) Istanbul
- (B) Tehran
- (C) Beijing
- (D) Jeddah
Check AnswerExplanation
The fourth Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was held in Beijing, China on 31 October 2014.
Chronology of Ministerial Meetings
- 1st Meeting: 2 November 2011 – Istanbul, Turkey
- 2nd Meeting: 14 June 2012 – Kabul, Afghanistan
- 3rd Meeting: 26 April 2013 – Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 4th Meeting: 31 October 2014 – Beijing, China
- 5th Meeting: 9 December 2015 – Islamabad, Pakistan
- 6th Meeting: 4 Dec 2016 – Amritsar, India
- 7th Meeting: 1 Dec 2017 – Baku, Azerbaijan
- 8th Meeting: 9 Dec 2019 – Istanbul, Turkey
Who was India’s Foreign Minister prior to Ms. Sushma Swaraj?
- (A) S.M. Krishna
- (B) Parnab Mukherjee
- (C) Arun Jaitley
- (D) Salman Khurshid
Check AnswerExplanationThe individual who was holding the position of the Indian Foreign Minister just before Sushma Swaraj took office (May 2014) was Salman Khurshid, who was holding this position from October 2012 to May 2014. Prior to this, S. M. Krishna was holding this position from 2009 to 2012, making Salman Khurshid his direct predecessor in the UPA-II government.
What was the rank of former Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan when he left the Army?
- (A) Captain
- (B) Major
- (C) Colonel
- (D) Brigadier
Check AnswerExplanationGohar Ayub Khan, a former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, started his political life as a Pakistani Army officer and retired as a Captain. Gohar Ayub was commissioned in 1957, completed his early years of training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and left the military scene in early 1962.
The American Ambassador who died along with President Zia-ul-Haq, in a plane crash in 1988 was:
- (A) Tom Simons
- (B) Robert Oakley
- (C) Arnold Raphael
- (D) John Wolf
Check AnswerExplanationThe American ambassador who died in the plane crash that killed Zia-ul-Haq in 1988 was Arnold Raphael. He was the 18th U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan. He died on August 17, 1988, when a C-130 plane crashed near Bahawalpur in the Pakistani province of Punjab.
Recently, a leading politician, Salahuddin Quader Chaudhry, was hanged in Bangladesh. His father was a prominent Pakistani politician who served as an Acting President of Pakistan prior to separation of Bangladesh. He held the same position:
- (A) Speaker
- (B) Minister of Industries
- (C) Vice-president
- (D) Governor of East Pakistan
Check AnswerExplanationSalahuddin Quader Chaudhry was the son of Fazlul Quader Chaudhry. Fazlul Quader Chaudhry was a prominent Pakistani politician who served as Speaker of National Assembly of Pakistan and also served as the President in 1963 during the absence of Ayub Khan. Therefore, he served as Speaker of National Assembly until Bangladesh’s separation in 1971. In addition to his role as Speaker, he served in several ministries under Ayub Khan, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Works, the Ministry of Education and Information, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
Kamran Baradari is one of the oldest Mughal monuments and is located in Lahore. Who exactly was Kamran?
- (A) Brother of Queen Noor Jahan
- (B) Son of Babur / Step Brother of Humayun
- (C) First husband of Noor Jahan
- (D) Brother of Sher Shah Suri
Check Answer
- (B) Son of Babar / Step Brother of Humayun
ExplanationKamran Mirza, who was Babur’s son and Humayun’s half-brother, ruled parts of Kabul and Lahore during the early Mughal period. Subsequently, he came into conflict with Humayun when they were competing for the throne. Kamran Baradari in Lahore, which is associated with him, is one of the oldest surviving Mughal monuments in Lahore.
The youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was elevated as Maharaja at the tender age of about 5 years. What was his name?
- (A) Duleep Singh
- (B) Karam Singh
- (C) Naunihal Singh
- (D) Kanwar Singh
Check AnswerExplanationMaharaja Duleep Singh, was the youngest child of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Maharani Jind Kaur. Born on September 6, 1838, by September 1843, at the young age of five, he was crowned king during a tumultuous period characterized by political instability and the assassination of numerous rulers before him. Although still young, his mother ruled as Regent during that period. Duleep would be the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which was annexed by the British in 1849.
Khudadad Khan was the first South Asian soldier in the British Army to receive the highest military award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross, during the First World War. In which country was he fighting where he performed the act of bravery, which earned him the Victoria Cross?
- (A) France
- (B) Austria
- (C) Belgium
- (D) Netherlands
Check AnswerExplanationKhudadad Khan was awarded the Victoria Cross for his extraordinary act of bravery in Belgium. On October 31, 1914, at the First Battle of Ypres, Khudadad Khan continued to operate his machine gun at Hollebeke despite being gravely wounded and surrounded by German soldiers.
Deosai National Park in Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the highest plateaus in the world with an average elevation of 4,114 meters. At which region of Gilgit-Baltistan is it located?
- (A) Balochistan
- (B) Potohar-Punjab
- (C) Gilgit-Baltistan
- (D) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Check AnswerExplanationDeosai National Park is located in the Skardu region of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is mostly located in the Skardu District. It is known for its high-altitude plains, unique wildlife like the Himalayan brown bear, and beautiful views.
Road is one of the main highways of Pakistan. What does G.T stand for?
- (A) General Traffic
- (B) General Transportation
- (C) General Track
- (D) Grand Trunk
Check AnswerExplanation
In the major highway network in Pakistan, GT stands for the Grand Trunk. The Grand Trunk Road, also called the GT Road and part of the highway N-5 in the country, is one of the oldest and longest in Asia and connects cities such as Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar.
This highway, which was celebrated for having been built and widened in the 16th century under a Pashtun ruler named Sher Shah Suri, was provided with traveler facilities such as sarais, wells, and shaded trees. This road was named Sarak-e-Azam, i.e., “Royal Road or Imperial Road.”
