The year 2016 has been an eventful one for the Pakistanis. From winning a second Oscar to historic opening of Gwadar deep sea port, from the top ranking in Test Cricket to winning global recognition, the year had some amazing moments to offer. Before celebrating the new year, let us take a walk down memory lane by remembering 2016’s top moments.
Pakistan secures 1st position in Test Cricket
The year 2016 made the Pakistani nation proud in the field of test cricket when Pakistan Cricket Team ranked no. 1 in International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Cricket ranking for the first time. Misbah -ul- Haq, test team captain was delighted to become the first Pakistani captain to inspire his team to the top of the test ranking. Misbah XI had become the 5th team after Australia, England, India and South Africa to top the ICC test ranking.
Sharmeen Obaid won second Oscar Award
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy became the first Pakistani to win two Oscar awards in the year 2016. She was awarded in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject for her documentary ‘A girl in the River – The Price of forgiveness’ was the story of 18 years old girl who is a survivor of honour killing attempt. She had won her first Oscar in 2012. Sharmeen aimed has gone a long way to making Pakistan proud. Thanks, Sharmeen to make the nation proud. Good luck.
Pakistani Pilot sisters co-flying Boeing 777
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots Maryam Masood and Erum Masood made history by becoming the first pair of sisters to fly Boeing 777 airplanes at the same time. Both sisters flew the planes from Lahore to Karachi, Manchester, New York, and London. It was really a proud moment for Pakistan because it never happened before in any country.
Pakistan passes its first anti-honour killing and anti-rape bills
In 2016, the Parliament unanimously passed the anti-honour and anti-rape bills as part of pro-women legislation.
The legislation on honour killings will introduce strict punishment for the convicts making it tougher than the ordinary murder cases. Under the new law relatives of the victim would only be able to pardon the killer if he is sentenced to capital punishment. However, the culprit would still face a mandatory life sentence of twelve-and-a-half years.
CPEC becomes reality as Gwadar Port goes operational
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) became a reality with the launch of Gwadar seaport on Nov 12. Gwadar Port is a warm-water, deep-sea port situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan. The inauguration ceremony of the Port was attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong. PM Sharif has termed the historic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project “a world of opportunities,” claiming the sharing of fruits of progress by the neighbouring countries can bring peace and harmony to the whole region.
Two Pakistani women awarded French prize for conflict prevention
Two young Pakistani women were awarded the prestigious Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention in recognition of their contributions toward development of a culture of peace and non-violence through the action of women and youth in Pakistan in Paris. Ms. Gulalai Ismail and Ms. Saba Ismail, the co-founders of women rights NGO “Aware Girls”, were conferred with the prize by the Former French Minister for Culture Ms. Chirstine Albanel in an impressive ceremony held in Quai Branly Museum, Paris on 24 Nov. 2016.
Two youngsters honored with the Queen’s young leader awards
Queen Elizabeth II awarded Mohammad Usman Khan and Zainab Bibi with the ‘Queen’s young leader awards 2016’ on their efforts to transform the education and environment field in the country. Usman designed an educational program called ‘Back to Life Edutainment’ for street children and Zainab established the Pakistan Society for Green Energy to increase awareness of green energy solutions. It was the biggest achievement of the year for all youngsters in the country.
Mahira Khan grabbed ‘Face to watch out for’ award
The beautiful Mahira Khan won the Vogue Face to watch out for 2016 in Mumbai, India. Mahira looked spectacular in green outfit and turned up the heat on red carpet. The ceremony was also attended by renowned Bollywood divas like Karishma Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Parineeti Chopra, and Ranbir Kapoor.
Pakistan tops Asian stock markets in 2016
Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has topped Bloomberg’s “Best Performing Equity index 2016” in Asian markets. Globally, PSX has been ranked 5th best-performing stock exchange with 43.05 percent gain in 2016. Bloomberg has released a list of ‘Best and Worst Performing Assets 2016’. The rankings were made on the basis of currencies, equities, commodities and bonds. Karachi 100 Index has been ranked 5th in World’s Equity Indices. From local currency point of view, Pakistan’s stock exchange was in 6th position with 45.25 percent increase in 2016.
Rafia Baig – the first Pakistani woman to join bomb squad
A 29-year-old woman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become the first Pakistani female to join the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU). Rafia Qaseem Baig, who joined police force as a constable seven years ago, will work in BDU after completing her 15-day training along with 31 other male members at Nowshera’s School of Explosive Handling. Rafia, who belongs to a highly educated family, said a blast near a sessions court seven years ago motivated her to join the force.
Hamid Mir wins ‘most resilient journalist award’
One of the Pakistan’s top journalists and the host of Capital Talk Hamid Mir raised the morale of nation by winning ‘Most resilient journalist award’ in the year 2016. The award ceremony was held in Hague, Holland. Hamid Mir was the only journalist to interview Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after September 11 attacks.
Pakistani-American doctor wins NATO Scientific Achievement Award 2016
A Pakistani-American doctor, Dr Rashid A. Chotani, won the “Scientific Achievement Award 2016” from the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) for his extraordinary performance in research on medical countermeasures against biological agents. Dr Chotani has worked in the healthcare industry, government and academia in areas such as advanced development of vaccines, therapeutic and diagnostic countermeasures, bio-surveillance during his 20-year career.