Year 2017: A look at the major local and global events
A short recap on some important events happened in Pakistan and elsewhere around the world. Photo: Dunya News
(Dunya News) – As the year 2017 ends here s a look back at some of the major incidents that happened in Pakistan and elsewhere around the world.
The much-awaited verdict in the history of Pakistan’s judiciary was announced on July 28 this year when the Supreme Court of Pakistan s five bench member bench disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was immediately asked to step down from the public office. On August 1 of 2017 PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was sworn in as the prime minister of Pakistan after Sharif s ouster.
One of the most important constituency - NA-120, after Nawaz Sharif stepped down, was open for reelection. A by-election was held on 17 September 2017. Major candidates included Kulsoom Nawaz and PTI’s Dr. Yasmin Rashid. Kulsoom Nawaz won the NA-120 constituency seat with 61,745 votes.
Apart from the NA-120, NA-4 also had a by-election after the seat fell vacant following the death PTI’s Gulzar Khan. The winner of this by-election was Arbab Amir who won by big margin.
Khatam-e-Nabuwwat bill, which was presented in the Senate, resulted in a major uproar around the country, as people took to the streets in protest against the Law Minister Zahid Hamid and demanded his resignation. The protest lasted for 20 days. It ended after Hamid’s resignation was accepted by the PM.
Hanif Abbasi’s petition against PTI’s Chairperson Imran Khan and PTI’s Jahangir Tareen on their off shore companies was given a verdict by the Supreme Court. The five-member bench disqualified Jahangir Tareen while Imran Khan was cleared of all the charges.
In 2017, Pakistan faced many terrorist attacks. On February 13, a suicide bomb exploded near the Charing Cross infront of the Punjab Assembly killing 13 people, including SSP Operations, Punjab Police Zahid Gondal and Ahmed Mobin DIG Traffic, Lahore.
Another terrorist incident occurred on Feburary 16 of 2017 when a suicide bomb exploded near the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh claiming lives of 70 people. Smong the dead were women and children while 150 people were left wounded in the attack.
In the month of Feburary 2017, another bomb blast took lives of 10 people near the busiest commercial areas of Lahore, wrecking the nearby shops and injuring 21 people.
In the province of Balochistan, the city Mastung was targeted by a suicide bombing killing 25 people and injuring 20, including Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.
The terrorists targeted Fatehpur shrine in Jhal Magsi claiming lives of 19 people and more than 20 people were injured due to the bomb blast.
At the end of the year, 15 bullet ridden bodies were recovered from Turbat, Balochistan. Later, five more bodies were found bringing the number of deaths to 20.
In road accidents and other incidents many people lost their lives. Nine people were injured and fourteen people died in a tragic road crash in Jhelum when a van collided with another car on the GT Road in Sohawa.
Countless people died in two separate avalanches in Chitral’s village where 21 people lost their lives.
A tanker truck explosion in Bhawalpur claimed 200 lives and injured atleast 34 people.
In Karachi, 12 people of the same family including women and children were drowned after they were swept away by strong waves.
Two passenger boats collided near Thatta in southern Pakistan claiming lives of 21 people.
In international news, the biggest news of 2017 was when Donald Trump became the president of the United States, resulting in many protests around the country.
As soon as Trump stepped into the Oval Office, the US bombed Afghanistan’s province Nangarhar located near Pakistani border.
Egypt’s Sinai Mosque was attacked with a bomb and gun attack killing more than 300 people with 27 children among the dead.
Saudi Arabia made headlines with a historical crackdown on corruption. Eleven Saudi princes and more than 200 people were arrested.
A nightclub was attacked in Turkey on January 1 of 2017 killing 39 people leaving several people injured.
In Las Vegas, United States, a gun man open fired on a crowd of concertgoers killing more than 58 people leaving 500 people injured.
Qatar in 2017 faced a lot of diplomatic crisis when several countries including Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic ties with the country. The countries withdrew their ambassadors and imposed trade and travel bans.
Natural disasters claimed many lives around the world, in 2017 near the border of Iran and Iraq more than 400 people died after 7.3 earthquake hit the region.
In sports, Pakistan aced in cricket but the hockey team couldn’t shine. Pakistani cricket team played remarkably and won the Champions Trophy, PSL finals from India and Test series from West Indies.
Cricket stars Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Saeed Ajmal retired this year.
Amongst other players stepping down were Floyd Mayweather, world renowned boxer, who retired this year in August.
Good news came when Tennis star Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian tied knot this year. Indian cricket star Virat Kohli also tied knot with Indian famous actress Anushka Sharma in a private ceremony.
Italians were heart broken when their football team failed to qualify for the first World Cup in 60 years.
Pakistan lost some famous people this year, among which included notable novelist Bano Qudsia, Ruth Pfau who dedicated her life eradicating leprosy. Pfau, renowned as Mother Teresa of Pakistan received a state funeral. Urdu scholar and Urdu language short story writer Naiyer Masud passed away this year at the age of 81.
For more on this watch a virtual report by Dunya News below.
