In March

Mar 16: Justice Saeeduddin Nasir of Sindh High Court passed away.

Mar 16: Pakistan Navy successfully conducted the test launch of a land-based anti-ship missile.

Mar 16: The federal government made it mandatory for health professionals or healthcare establishments to make video recording of every cardiac procedure.

Mar 16: The Senate of Pakistan passed the Pakistan Climate Change Act.

Mar 16: The Sindh government launched Sindh Peoples Ambulance service in Thatta and Sujawal.

Mar 16: Celebrated British social worker and environmentalist Maureen P. Lines, known for her work on the Kalasha people, passed away. She was 79.

About Ms Lines

1. Born in 1937 in England, Ms Lines first visited Pakistan in 1980.
2. She lived among the Kalasha, learning their language and ways.
3. She was a recipient of the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for extraordinary services rendered in the preservation and promotion of Kalasha culture.
4. Ms Lines was the founder of the Kalasha Environmental Protection Society and the Hindukush Conservation Association.
5. She was also the author of several books, including Beyond the North-West Frontier, A Guide to the Kalasha People, and The Kalasha of the Hindu Kush.

Mar 18: Brilliant athlete Nadia Nazir breathed her last.

About Nadia Nazir

1. Nadia was a four-time national champion and a record-holder in 400-metre hurdles race since 2007 with a timing of 61.50 seconds which is yet to be surpassed.
2. She started her running career in 2000.
3. She became the national champion in 2006.
4. She beat her own record at the 2007 National Games and from then on, she won the title of national champion for six consecutive years.
5. Nadia also competed in the World Championship and Asian Games besides visiting India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iran, Hong Kong and China.

Mar 18: The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by one year. China’s “One Belt, One Road” project that includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also received the backing by being mentioned in the resolution.

Mar 19: Twelve-year-old Uzair Abdullah became the youngest charter member in the certification of Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) in cloud platform and infrastructure.

Mar 19: Islamabad’s Shabbir Iqbal, the top-ranked golf professional of the country, clinched the Punjab Open Golf Championship title.

Mar 19: President Mamnoon Hussain gave his formal assent to the Hindu Marriage Bill 2017.

The Hindu Marriage bill — the first personal law at the federal level to regulate the marriages of Hindus — is aimed at protecting the marriages and the family and safeguarding the rights and interests of the Hindu families in Pakistan.

March 19: Pakistan was ranked as the 80th happiest country on the planet in the World Happiness Report 2017.

5 Happiest Countries: Norway (1); Denmark (2); Iceland (3); Switzerland (4) and Finland (5).

5 Saddest Countries: Rwanda (151); Syria (152); Tanzania (153); Burundi (154) and Central African Republic (155).

Other SAARC Nations: Nepal (99); Bhutan (97); Bangladesh (110); Sri Lanka (120) and India (122). Maldives did not figure in the report.

Mar 20: The government reopened border crossings with Afghanistan as a goodwill gesture.

Mar 20: Tehmina Janjua assumed charge as the 29th foreign secretary, becoming the first woman in the country to lead the foreign ministry.

Mar 20: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the release of former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi in the Haj corruption case.

Mar 21: Saeed Ahmad, former Deputy Governor SBP, was appointed the President National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).