Who among the following is the current Secretary General of SAARC?
- (a) Ahmed Saleem
- (b) Amjad Hussain Sial
- (c) Esala Weerakon
- (d) Golam Sarwar
- (d) Golam Sarwar
Muhammad Golam Sarwar, a Bangladeshi, is currently working as the Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, a position he has assumed since October 25, 2023. Being a senior diplomat, he is the 15th Secretary-General, representing Bangladesh.
Who was the first Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan?
- (a) Zahid Hussain
- (b) Abdul Qadir
- (c) S.A Hasnie
- (d) Ishrat Hussain
- (a) Zahid Hussain
The first governor of the State Bank of Pakistan was Zahid Hussain. He was appointed by the Quaid himself, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to organize the central bank of Pakistan after independence and remained its governor from June 10, 1948, to July 19, 1953. Mr. Husain was a known civil servant who also served as the first High Commissioner of Pakistan to India.
Kurt Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and statesman who served two terms as the _______ secretary general of the United Nations.
- (a) Third
- (b) Fourth
- (c) Fifth
- (d) Sixth
- (b) Fourth
Kurt Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and statesman who held the positions of the UN’s fourth Secretary General for two consecutive terms. His term as the UN’s Secretary General began from January 1, 1972, to December 31, 1981, after serving as the Austrian Permanent Representative to the UN.
The General Assembly and the Security Council select the judges of the International Court of Judges for the period of 9 years. The ICJ is comprised of ______ judges.
- (a) 30
- (b) 15
- (c) 10
- (d) 5
- (b) 15
The International Court of Justice has 15 judges, and they have a nine-year term in office. Judges are elected by an absolute majority vote by both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. Judges in this court deal with court cases between states and provide advisory opinions.
Kirthar Range is a mountain range in Pakistan extending about 190 miles. In which province of Pakistan does the range’s largest portion reside?
- (a) Sindh
- (b) Balochistan
- (c) Punjab
- (d) Gilgit Baltistan
- (a) Sindh
A majority of the Kirthar Mountain range is located in Sindh, Pakistan. The range separates Sindh from eastern Balochistan, extending from the Mula River in Balochistan to Karachi, but the highest peaks of the range, along with the famous Kirthar National Park, are in Sindh.
When Balochistan was given the status of province?
- (a) 1969
- (b) 1970
- (c) 1971
- (d) 1972
- (b) 1970
On July 1, 1970, Balochistan was fully incorporated into Pakistan as a province. This was after General Yahya Khan abolished the One Unit System in West Pakistan, and the provinces in inland Pakistan were reunited. Among these provinces was Balochistan, which had been a Chief Commissioner province.
What is the length of Karakorum highway?
- (a) 810 miles
- (b) 910 miles
- (c) 610 miles
- (d) 710 miles
- (a) 810 miles
The Karakoram Highway, stretching approximately 810 miles or about 1,300 kilometers, connects Hassan Abdal in Pakistan and the Khunjerab Pass, which lies on the Pakistan-China border.It is called the KKH for short and is an international road, stretching from Hassan Abdal in Punjab, Pakistan, to Kashgar in Xinjiang, China, over the Khunjerab Pass. It is one of the major trade and traffic routes between China and Pakistan, and it is considered one of the highest paved international highways in the world, dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” due to the rugged terrain over which it has been built, covering a distance of about 810 miles in total or 1,300 km, out of which 887 km is in Pakistan and 413 km is in China, and was built in a partnership between Pakistan and China in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively.
Who among the following was the penultimate Viceroy of British India?
- (a) Lord Mountbatten
- (b) Lord Wavell
- (c) Lord Linlithgow
- (d) Lord Canning
- (b) Lord Wavell
Lord Archibald Wavell ruled British India from 1943 to 1947 as the second to last Viceroy. This means that he was the penultimate Viceroy, the last Viceroy before the last. This Viceroy, Lord Wavell, was instrumental in managing the hugely complex process of winding down the British rule in India.
“Jinnah Pakistan and Islamic Identity: The Search for Saladin” is a book based on conversations and interviews of those who were close to Jinnah. Who wrote this book?
- (a) Ayesha Jalal
- (b) Akbar S. Ahmed
- (c) Stanley Wolpert
- (d) Hector Bolitho
- (b) Akbar S. Ahmed
Jinnah, Pakistan, and Islamic Identity: The Search for Saladin by Akbar S. Ahmed is a book by a renowned Pakistani scholar, diplomat, and anthropologist. This book is the result of the author’s dialogue and interviews with individuals who knew Mohammad Ali Jinnah rather well. It explores the ideas of Jinnah about the state of Pakistan and the way Islam intersects with national identity and the rule of law.
Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan to immortalize his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Its construction spanned 22 years. When was the project commenced?
- (a) 1622
- (b) 1632
- (c) 1642
- (d) 1652
- (b) 1632
The construction of the Taj Mahal started as early as 1632, shortly after the death of Mumtaz Mahal in 1631. This massive undertaking took about 22 years to accomplish, requiring over 20,000 workers to build the white marble edifice and the other structures that comprised the mausoleum. Most of the structures at the main site were completed by 1648, followed by the construction of the other buildings a few years later, about 1653.