Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistani social media’s greatest hits of 2020


Pakistani social media’s greatest hits of 2020

A combination of photos of the celebrities whose memes went viral in the year 2020 in Pakistan.
Short Url

https://arab.news/pn8wk

Updated 30 December 2020
Follow

Pakistani social media’s greatest hits of 2020

  • Amid the doom and gloom of coronavirus, the Internet has provided Pakistanis some hilarity and positivity
  • Arab News compiles a list of 2020’s funniest and most positive memes and viral posts 
Updated 30 December 2020
Sabah Bano Malik

RAWALPINDI: The year 2020 will join the list of years that are so eventful they are regarded as pivotal in history: long remembered for when more than 1.7 million people globally died in a pandemic.
For Pakistan, too, 2020 was a difficult year, with almost 10,000 people dead and over 475,000 inflicted with the virus.
But among the doom and gloom, the Internet has provided Pakistanis some hilarity and positivity in this difficult time. Below are some of the greatest viral moments of 2020:
That sounds ‘grape’:
In a 10-year-old video that has recently gone viral, the assembly at a school for Pakistani expatriate children in Jeddah is presided over by Sehar Kamran (who would later go on to become a senator in Pakistan). She asks the kids what they would like to do when they grow up. To many of the children’s responses — pilot, soldier, etc. -, Kamran says what sounds like “grape” instead of “great.” The word grape has since entered the cultural lexicon, with people even putting it on birthdays cakes (“24? That’s grape!”), according to Dawn writer Haseeb Asif. Here is a thread of the hilarious clips:

Maria B’s ‘The Scream:’
Veteran fashion designer Maria B found herself at the center of major controversy in the early days of the pandemic when she put out a video calling for support after she and her husband were questioned by authorities, and her husband was taken into custody, for sending a member of their domestic staff home on public transport after he tested positive for COVID-19 — in complete violation of guidelines. The designer’s video, with its lavish backdrop complete with a massive chandelier, was relentlessly mocked on social media for its sense of entitlement and brazen display of elite privilege, and a freeze-frame from the clip has since become a go-to reaction shot by Pakistani social media users. For example:
“My friends when i tell them i’m in love again,” one Twitter user wrote, posting the shot:

Ahmer Naqvi, sports and culture writer, said: “All the active bacteria and virus in my food when I say bismillah before taking a bite.”


Others put Maria B’s distressed image from the video on Edvard Munch’s famous painting “The Scream:

Pakistani Twitter vs. Ishaq Dar:
Former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s interview on BBC HARDtalk went viral, with Twitterati making memes of Dar’s panicked face over being asked tough questions about his assets by host Stephen Sackur.
“When you have out of syllabus questions in exams,” one user said, posting a shot of Dar from the interview:

Another user posted:

Civil war in Karachi:
Hilarity ensued on Pakistan social media in October after misinformation was widely circulated on Indian mainstream and social media claiming a civil war had broken out in the Pakistani city of Karachi. 
Pakistanis turned to the Internet to debunk the rumors and to poke fun at media and social media users in India, a bitter rival and neighbor with whom Pakistan has fought three wars.
One user posted a funny photo and joked that citizens had now joined the civil war and were fighting the Pakistan army:

Other users described life under civil war:
“During the civil war in Karachi today I managed to get in a full day of work, got groceries, went to the gym, went to studio, went to see my girlfriend,” Faisal Rafi wrote. “The civil war was pretty chilled I must say.”

Singer and actor Fakhr-e-Alam tweeted: “Karachi civil war has gotten so bad that my food panda delivery boy had to crawl through mine fields carrying his AK47, RPG & 9mm along with my nihari and Biryani. This thing is getting so serious.”

‘No fear’ Asif Magsi:
Pakistani TikTok user and long jumper Asif Magsi’s videos showing him jumping over motorcycles and lakes went viral on social media in August, prompting the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) to invite him for training.
When he started out, Magsi told Arab News in an interview, he could jump over five motorcycles parked in a row but can now cross eleven, as seen in a viral video of him shared on various social media platforms. He said he was unaware of long jump records but could cross nearly 25 feet or 7.6 meters. The world record for the long jump is 8.95 meters while the Asian record is 8.33 meters.
“I was not expecting my video made almost a week ago will get so much attention,” Magsi said, adding that he wanted to represent Pakistan at international games. “Now everyone in my family and people in the area are happy.”
Nine-times Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis took to twitter to appreciate Magsi, saying “with his lack of fear, he has the perfect mindset.”


The 19 in COVID-19:
Pakistani social media users took to Twitter and Facebook in June to poke fun at a bizarre definition of COVID-19 offered by the country’s minister for climate change Zartaj Gul who said the virus was called COVID-1 because it “has 19 points and it is a type of flu that can affect a country in one of the 19 ways … Its severity depends upon the immunity level of people in the country concerned.”
“F-16 is 16-seater,” one Twitter user posted in response:

Another said: “20 players play T20, that’s why it is called T20.”

Teacher encourages students to post questions to NASA, scientists reply:
When Pakistani teacher Aimun Faisal posted her students’ questions to NASA on Twitter in October, never did she imagine scientists and astronauts would respond — and her post would go viral.
The fourth-grade teacher at Karachi’s Cornerstones School asked her students to write down questions about the solar system, of which six selected questions and the names and photos of the students who had asked them were posted by Faisal on Twitter.
“These fourth graders have some questions for you,” said the post, in which NASA astronauts and other scientists were tagged. The tweet went viral.


To Faisal’s surprise and joy, astronauts and scientists replied.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield said to a student called Rayyan who had asked if he ever felt “scared” his space ship would get lost in space: 
“Rayyan — I wasn’t scared we’d get lost. We had the Earth nearby, and used the stars to steer. I felt especially comforted when I flew over home. Here’s a photo I took of Karachi — can you find your school?”

To Haniyah, who asked if it was true that it rained diamonds on Jupiter, Emily Calandrelli, an American science communicator and the host of Xploration Outer Space and Emily’s Wonder Lab, wrote:
“Haniyah -It’s definitely possible!! The same physics and chemistry that creates diamonds here on Earth (putting Carbon under super high heat/pressure) exists on planets like Jupiter, so some scientists hypothesize that it’s raining diamonds there! Wouldn’t it be fun to see that?!”

Topics: Pakistan 2020 Review

Suspected militants burn girls’ school in northwest Pakistan in third such attack this month

Updated 29 May 2024
AP
Follow

Suspected militants burn girls’ school in northwest Pakistan in third such attack this month

  • Kerosine used to set fire to a girls’ school in North Waziristan district
  • Suspects destroyed furniture, computers and books in latest attack
Updated 29 May 2024
AP

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A group of militants used kerosine to set fire to a girls’ school in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold, destroying furniture, computers and books, police said Wednesday, in the latest in a surge in such attacks.
No one was hurt in the overnight attack in North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police official Rehmat Ullah said. Two other girls’ schools in the region were bombed earlier this month.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but authorities suspect Islamic militants, who targeted girls’ schools years ago, saying that women should not be educated.
North Waziristan is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, who are also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. It is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.

Topics: Pakistan Taliban girls school

Cop shot dead by suspected militants in northwest Pakistan amid wave of police killings

Updated 29 May 2024
Follow

Cop shot dead by suspected militants in northwest Pakistan amid wave of police killings

  • Peshawar police say 55 officers killed in ambushes and targeted attacks this year
  • Over 200 policemen killed in targeted killings and ambushes in the last two years
Updated 29 May 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: Unidentified gunmen on a motorbike shot dead a police officer headed to duty in the northwestern city of Peshawar early morning on Wednesday, police said, bringing the total number of officers killed in ambushes and targeted attacks to 55 this year.
The latest killings come at a time of renewed militant violence in Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions, especially after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its fragile, months-long truce with the government in November 2022.
While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest killing, suspicion is likely to fall on the TTP, which has claimed dozens of recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the country’s militancy-ridden northwest.
“An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Hajji Akbar Khan of Peshawar police was going on his motorcycle to duty in HayatAbad [neighborhood] when gunmen riding a motorbike shot him dead and fled the scene,” Zaffar Khan, a police officer at the Sarband Police Station, told Arab News.
The killing is part of a wave of attacks on policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent weeks.
According to Muhammad Shabbir Khan, the police superintendent at the research wing of Peshawar police, over 200 policemen have been killed in targeted killings and ambushes by unidentified gunmen in the last two years.
“In 2024, almost 55 police personnel have been martyred in targeted killings so far,” Khan said.
“Similarly, last year, as many as 185 policemen were martyred in ambushes and targeted attacks elsewhere in KP.”
Last month, unidentified gunmen shot dead a policeman in the restive North Waziristan tribal district, while six people, including five officials of the customs department, were killed and another wounded when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the southern Dera Ismail Khan district in KP.
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have traded blame in recent months over who is responsible for the recent spate of militant attacks in Pakistan. 
Islamabad says the attacks are launched mostly by TTP members who operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this and blames Islamabad for not being able to handle its own security challenges.

Topics: Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)

Over 16,000 Pakistani pilgrims opt for government’s new shorter duration Hajj package 

Updated 29 May 2024
Follow

Over 16,000 Pakistani pilgrims opt for government’s new shorter duration Hajj package 

  • Government Hajj scheme previously ran for 38-42 days, now shorter deal of up to 30 days also available
  • Pakistan’s Hajj 2024 quota is 179,210 pilgrims of which 63,805 pilgrims will use the government scheme
Updated 29 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: More than 16,000 pilgrims have chosen the government’s new short duration Hajj package, state-run media said on Wednesday, an option that allows believers to complete the journey in up to 30 days.
Previously, the government Hajj scheme ran for 38-42 days, but a shorter package of 25-30 days has been made available for the first time this year. 
Hajj 2024 is expected to take place from June 14-19, coinciding with the peak of sweltering summer temperatures in the region and raising concerns about the well-being of millions of pilgrims gathering in Makkah from around the world.
“Over 16,000 intending pilgrims have chosen a short Hajj package introduced by the government this year,” state-run Radio Pakistan said, quoting Director General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro. “The package is a gift for the busy people who intend to perform Hajj in a short duration.”
Soomro said numerous steps were being taken to facilitate pilgrims during their stay in Saudi Arabia, with space for pilgrims acquired timely in Mina and a train service made available to transport them to Mashayer.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year. Of them, 63,805 pilgrims will be performing the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will be accommodated by private tour operators, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.
Around 40,000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims have so far arrived in Madinah and Makkah through 164 flights under the government scheme. The number of pilgrims who arrived under the private scheme stands at 5,500. 
As many as 114 flights will be transporting another 34,422 Pakistanis to Jeddah till June 9.
This year, Pakistan is also due to send 550 Hajj assistants and 400 doctors and paramedical staff to Saudi Arabia to ensure that the pilgrimage process, including food, transportation and accommodation, is managed efficiently.

Topics: Hajj 2024

Human Rights Watch urges Pakistan to reform land laws amid eviction drives targeting urban poor

Updated 29 May 2024
Follow

Human Rights Watch urges Pakistan to reform land laws amid eviction drives targeting urban poor

  • Watchdog says authorities should ensure no one made homeless, compensate loss of land, provide resettlement
  • Officials have said in the past they are only working to remove structures that “encroach” on public lands, state property
Updated 29 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Pakistan this week to reform its colonial-era land laws which the watchdog said were being used to forcibly evict low-income residents, shop owners, and street vendors to make room for public and private development projects.
The latest HRW report titled “I Escaped With Only My Life: Abusive Forced Evictions in Pakistan” details alleged widespread and abusive forced evictions that the rights body said disproportionately affected the most economically and socially marginalized communities in Pakistan. Authorities had evicted thousands of people without adequate consultation, notice, compensation, resettlement assistance, or means of redress in violation of their basic rights, the document said. 
Forced eviction is defined as “the permanent or temporary removal against their will and without the provision of, and access to, appropriate forms of legal or other protection.”
“The Pakistani government urgently needs to reform its colonial-era land laws so that they are equitable, transparent, and in line with Pakistan’s international obligations,” HRW Senior Counsel Saroop Ijaz said.
“The authorities should ensure that no one is made homeless due to eviction, compensate the loss of land, and provide for the resettlement of those displaced.”
The government and police have not yet commented on HRW’s latest report, but officials have said in the past they were only removing structures that “encroached” on public lands or state property, which they deem both necessary and justified. Encroachment is a crime under several provincial and regional laws, and those convicted face fines or even prison sentences.
In its report, HRW interviewed at least 36 victims of forced evictions in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi who alleged that police used excessive force to remove tenants and, in some cases, also made illegal arrests. Interviewees also said there was “little consistency and less rationale” for evictions on the pretext of anti-encroachment drives. Victims said police were arresting and prosecuting those who resisted evictions, while corruption in land acquisition, and poor land registration mechanisms made it impossible for them to prove ownership of their land.
“Many of those evicted, in addition to losing their homes, frequently lose their livelihoods and access to essential public services, such as schools and health care,” the report said. “These practices worsen social and economic inequalities, disproportionately burdening people and households with low incomes, and who often are ethnic minorities.”
Pakistan’s colonial-era Land Acquisition Act (LAA) 1894 provides the template for public land acquisition in the country more than a century after its enactment. 
“The law and others based on it give the government almost exclusive authority to decide what falls within its scope and to displace people with minimum procedural safeguards that are contrary to international human rights law and standards,” the report added.

Topics: Afghan refugee Afghan refugee in Pakistan Afghan Refugees in pakistan

Karachi braces for heat wave today amid sizzling weather across Pakistan

Updated 29 May 2024
Follow

Karachi braces for heat wave today amid sizzling weather across Pakistan

  • The country’s chief meteorologist predicts temperature in the port city to hit 45°C for the next three days
  • Pakistan is in the grips of an intense heat wave since last week, with temperatures soaring past 52°C in Sindh
Updated 29 May 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan’s southern Karachi port city will start experiencing heat wave today that is likely to persist until the end of the week, said the country’s chief meteorologist on Wednesday, as different cities have already been enduring sizzling weather, with upper portion of Sindh province recording temperatures exceeding 52° Celsius.
Earlier this month, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan issued a warning regarding soaring temperatures in certain areas of Sindh and eastern Punjab province, saying they were expected to surge to 40°C between May 15 and 30.
“The temperature will rise up to 45 degrees Celsius,” said Sardar Sarfraz, chief meteorologist, adding that since the situation would persist until June 1 and not for five consecutive days, it would technically be considered a partial heat wave.
Sarfraz noted that the weather in other parts of Sindh had been very hot, with Mohenjo Daro almost reaching a point where it could break its own record of 53.5°C on May 27, 2010.
“Mohenjo Daro’s temperature reached 52.5 degrees Celsius, the third highest for the country,” he said.
In Pakistan, Sarfraz mentioned that the highest temperature was recorded at 54°C in Turbat in 2017, making it the country’s highest and the fourth highest in the world.
Speaking to Arab News, Jawed Memon, a weather expert, said Karachi had already experienced “feels-like” heat wave for the past seven to nine days. However, he said the situation was likely to remain bearable in the next few days.
“Due to these dry and dusty winds, significant drop in humidity levels is expected, specifically from tonight and the feels-like temperatures won’t be so high,” he said
Climate change exacerbates heat waves in Pakistan, with extreme temperatures becoming more frequent.
The country, among the top ten most vulnerable to climate impacts, also faces untimely downpours, floods and droughts.
These heat waves lead to various illnesses, contributing to significant economic losses and weather-related deaths in summer season.
In 2015, Karachi witnessed a deadly heat wave, claiming more 2,000 lives, while devastating floods in 2022 killed around 1,700 people and affected over 33 million across the country, necessitating extensive rebuilding efforts.

Topics: heatwave in Pakistan

Latest updates

Spain hosts meeting with Foreign Ministerial Committee of Arabic and Islamic countries for Gaza
Iran’s Tasnim news agency: Iran made sea-launched ballistic missile available to Houthis
Indian capital records highest temperature of 49.9 Celsius
Visa holders can’t enter Makkah during Hajj season — Saudi interior ministry
Turkiye’s Erdogan says ‘spirit of United Nations dead in Gaza’

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.