It seems like yesterday when 2017 began and it is already December. As we go on to celebrate yet another New Years I think it is important to remind ourselves of everything that happened in 2017.
These are some of the most powerful moments for Pakistan.
1. The year opened with the funeral of the victims of the the unfortunate terrorist attack in Parachinar
This attack happened on January 21, 2017 and claimed 25 lives.
2. This Valentine’s day date between a Lahori medical student and her “date”
3. The aftermath of the horrible blast in Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine in Sehwan Sharif that took 90 lives and injured a further 300 people
The attack took place on February 16, 2017.
4. When these Islamabadis celebrated Bijli’s birthday and it was so precious
5. Darren Sammy celebrated becoming “Man of the Match” after the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore on March 5, 2017
This was the first PSL match ever to be played in Pakistan and the arrival of international players was a joy for people.
6. When this robot restaurant server from Multan made all the right kind of noise
7. That time when Ahmad Shahzad became a meme after getting “hurt” during a match
8. 28-year-old Major Ishaq was martyred during the DI Khan Operation in November
The wife of this martyred army officer mourns him looking at his face through the window in his coffin.
9. Pakistan’s women’s cricket team got featured in a badass photoshoot
10. The tallest tower in the world lit up in Pakistan’s flag colors to pay tribute on Pakistan Day
11. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified following a protracted judicial process
Supporters of opposition parties celebrate after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court.
12. Police examine the ransacked hostel room of Mashal Khan who was beaten to death by a mob of fellow students in Mardan on April 13, 3017 over fake allegations of blasphemy
13. Pakistan’s men’s cricket team won the Champions Trophy after defeating India in an exciting final
14. This viral masala ad that has been dubbed as Pakistan’s media takeover by CPEC
15. Mahira Khan became the center of a huge controversy over an image of her and Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor in New York
Even though the actual date of this image is unknown, it created true havoc in the media in 2017.
16. Maria Shahzad became famous as the only female aeronautical engineer at a private Pakistani airline.
17. The Karachi City government honored the late German born Dr. Ruth Pfau with a state funeral after she passed away on August 10, 2017
She dedicated her life to fighting leprosy in the country and died at the age of 87 this year in August.
18. When these Pakistani female athletes swept away all the gold medals in their international tournament
19. This Guinness World Record holder from Lahore was forced to sit on the streets because he couldn’t afford to go to college
20. These Pakistani bikers travelled from Karachi to Kashmir on their heavy bikes
21. When premiere fashion brand Khaadi came under fire for allegations that workers at their outsourced factory weren’t treated properly
22. Public buses in London were decked in Pakistani truck art for a campaign called “Emerging Pakistan”
23. Farzana Jan, the President of a Trans Rights group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa became the first transgender person in Pakistan to be identified as Trans on her passport
24. When Malala wearing jeans in England caused a firestorm in Pakistan
25. When Muslim clerics from around the country staged a sit-in in Faizabad, bringing life to a stand-still in Islamabad for three weeks
26. Bloodshed ensued as the Government tried to get clerics to clear the sit in, by using force and instead aggravating things around the country
The policemen disguised as civilians dispersed the protesters as the government order the military to be deployed in Islamabad.
27. Three burqa-clad terrorists attacked the Agricultural Training Institute in Peshawar on December 1, 2017
The condition of the hostel at the Agricultural Training Institute in Peshawar after Burqa clad terrorists attacked it. This attack claimed 11 lives.
Despite the amount of turmoil in form of terror attacks and protests, Pakistanis should be hopeful because 2017 was a win if you survived and we should be determined to do even better in 2018.