36 Flashes From Pakistan: 2017 Hoopla

2018 is just around the corner, and we are so not ready for it. After all, 2017 was a year full of excitement, horror, and important milestones. As a nation, we have braved grievances and merriment, alike. But before we delve into our new year resolutions, let us take a quick, bittersweet trip down memory lane, together.

1. The year began with the internet trolling a young student for making an innocent mistake during an interview. 

Excited girl, blurts out in excitement.
“Bohat ziada maza aa raha hai. We are proud of you!”

2. Parachinar market blast in January shook the entire nation and took 25 lives.

Funeral of the bomb blast victims at Parachinar.
Funeral of the bomb blast victims, Parachinar.

3. Member of the National Assembly,  Naveed Qamar, sparked controversy upon spending lavishly on his daughter’s destination wedding in Thailand.

Naveed Qamar's daughter, wedding, Thailand
The Upscale Royal Wedding of Pakistan, Bangkok.

4. The suicide bombing of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine, which claimed approximately 90 innocent lives.

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's shrine after the suicide blast, 2017
Sehwan Sharif and the heart-wrenching aftermath.

5. An engineer from NUST, Osama Jafri, designed and introduced Pakistan’s first robot waitress.

first robot waitress serving pizza in Multan pizzeria
There she is, serving at a pizzeria in Multan.

6. Burj Khalifa celebrated Pakistan’s Resolution Day and lit up in the colours of our national flag.

Burj Khalifa: Dubai, March 23rd, Pakistan, Republic Day
Burj Khalifa, Dubai.

7.  Mashal Khan was killed mercilessly after being wrongly accused of blasphemy.

Mashal Khan, killed by mob, accused of blasphemy
Mashal Khan, the humanist that was ruthlessly murdered.

8. Shan Foods unveiled a touching TV commercial, wherein a Chinese woman won hearts by cooking for her neighbours.

Shan foods tvc, Chinese bonding with Pakistani Neighbors, emotional ad, biryani
Biryani: connecting people better than Nokia ever could!

9. We failed to answer Sahir Lodhi’s questions from the press conference.

Sahir Lodhi, furious, press conference
“Who are you? Are you playing God? What are you?”

He took it out on the woman whose poetry was terribly misunderstood!

sahir lodhi, insulting girl, misinterpretation regarding Quaid e Azam, misunderstanding
That “a pki-meri-jang-ho-jaegi-ruk-jaiye-yahan-pe” moment!

10. The shady churail  of Hyderabad ,  who was suspiciously open to a photo shoot in the middle of the night.

Churail of Hyderabad
The churail seeking publicity.

11. PIA pilot, Captain Amir Hashmi, abandoned the cockpit to take a ‘catnap.’

PIA flight captain asleep in the passenger compartment
Captain Amir Hashmi clearly in the wrong seat.

12. The demise of Suzi, Lahore’s only elephant, was really unfortunate. She had a lifespan of only 36 years.

Dead elephant Suzi. Child stares at the body in Lahore zoo.
A child staring at the deceased Suzi.

13. Beating all the odds, it was Pakistan that won the title, and brought the ICC Champions Trophy home!

Champions Trophy 2017, Green shirts, Pakistan Cricket team, Holding the trophy
Green Shirts lifting the trophy after beating India in the final.

14. Internet-breaking photoshoot of our women’s cricket team in their brand new uniforms!

Women cricket team, Pakistan, Photo shoot, brand new uniforms
The  13 Reasons Why  we love this photo from the shoot are pretty evident.

15. Farzana Jan became the first transgender person in Pakistan to hold a passport with a gender-neutral ‘X’ option.

Farzana Jan, transgender, gender-neutral passport, option X
Farzana Jan’s passport.

16. An oil tanker toppled over in Bahawalpur, and exploded. More than 150 people died in the incident.

Bahawalpur, oil tanker explosion, cars and bikes burnt.
The site of the oil tanker explosion, Bahawalpur.

17. The iconic double-decker buses in London were decorated and the theme was ‘ Emerging Pakistan. ‘

London, double-decker bus, branding Pakistan, truck art
A bus covered in truck art, London.

18. A passenger made an unethical move by posting a photo of a PIA air hostess online.

PIA air hostess, candid shot, Shama Janjua, objectionable
Photo: Shama Janjua.

Turns out, PIA had better pictures to show us, and we loved them.

PIA, air hostess, reaction, shama janjua
Disaster: managed. Well done, PIA.

19. Maryam Nawaz was accused of presenting forged documents, and suddenly Calibri became our favorite font!

Panama Case: Forensic Report, Conclusion (a)
Panama Case: Forensic Report, Conclusion (a).

 

Panama Case: Forensic Report, Conclusion (b)
Panama Case: Forensic Report, Conclusion (b).

20. One morning, we all woke up to this. Careem launched a Rishta Aunty Service.

Careem's Rishta Aunty Service.
Careem’s Rishta Aunty Service.

21. Ayesha Gulalai made allegations of harassment against Imran Khan.

Ayesha Gulalai, Imran Khan
Ayesha Gulalai next to Imran Khan.

22. Pakistan lost its very own Mother Teresa, Dr. Ruth Pfao .

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Pakistani Army personnel and others gather around the coffin of Ruth Pfau, a German nun who devoted her life to combatting leprosy in Pakistan, before her funeral ceremony in Karachi on August 19, 2017.<br /> Ruth Pfau, a German nun who devoted her life to combatting leprosy in Pakistan, died at the age of 87. Pfau, who was known locally as Pakistan's Mother Teresa, came to the southern port city of Karachi in 1960 and spent half a century taking care of some of the country's sickest and poorest people. She was the founder of Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi, where she was being cared for at the time of her death after falling ill two weeks ago.<br /> / AFP PHOTO / RIZWAN TABASSUM
The coffin of Dr. Ruth Pfao at her funeral ceremony.

23. Mahira Khan was spotted smoking a cigarette, and for some reason, this made big news.

Mahira Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Smoking Cigarettes
Mahira Khan doing the deed.

24. The popular preacher, Nouman Ali Khan, was accused of ‘sexting’ his female colleagues and followers.

Nouman Ali Khan.
The indicted Nouman Ali Khan.

25. The Blue Whale suicide challenge made its way into Pakistan and started claiming victims.

Blue Whale Game, Whale on arm,Challenge
Players are required to send photos as proof after completing tasks.

26. Malala Yousafzai was harassed for wearing jeans and boots. We thought her outfit was cute, though.

Malala Yousafzai, Oxford University, Jeans and boots, First week of classes
Malala at Oxford University.

27. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s tweet led to a doctor being fired from Aga Khan Hospital. This sparked a debate on what harassment is.

The Academy Award Winner, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
The Academy Award Winner, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

28. Dina Wadia, the daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, passed away at 98 years old.

Mrs. Dina Wadia, the last Jinnah.
Mrs. Dina Wadia, the last Jinnah.

29. Famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin visited Pakistan in April and fashioned new flats named after Lahore!

Christian Louboutin Lahore themed shoes
The Lahore-inspired Christian Louboutin flats.

30. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s bust was sculpted and revealed at the British Museum in London.

Quaid-e-Azam's bust, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, British Museum, London.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, unveiling the bust of Quaid-e-Azam.

31. The popular clothing brand Generation  took their branding campaign to a whole other level! The campaign, Shahnaz Ki Shaadi,  revolves around breaking stereotypes. It also features transgender and plus-size women as models.

Generation, campaign models.
Generation, breaking the stereotypes.

32. TYLRA launched the Khatam-e-Nabuwat  sit-in that lasted for two whole weeks and ended up provoking protests in the major cities.

Staunch protesters of Khatam-e-Nabuwat Dharna: Faizabad Interchange.
Staunch protesters of Khatam-e-Nabuwat Dharna: Faizabad Interchange.

33.There was a crackdown on protests by the police and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

After crackdown: Faizabad Dharna.
After crackdown: Faizabad Dharna.

34. 2017 was so hot for scandals that even Muniba Mazari got sucked in! Her former husband sued her for slandering him and blaming him for her condition.

Muniba Mazari
Muniba Mazari denies these allegations

35. These female powerlifters made Pakistanis everywh ere immensely proud by winning powerlifting championships internationally. Namely, the Oceania Classic Championships, and the Pacific Invitationals held in Singapore.

Faizan Lakhani’s tweet about Pakistan’s presence at the powerlifting championships.


36. And lastly, we present to you the most significant event of the year. It is definitely going down in history. Disqualification of the prime minister from office.

The Former Disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The Former Disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in his kyun-nikaala feels and all.

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