Hadiqa Kiani, Zahid Ahmed, Sana Mir among stars awarded civil honours
Actors, writers, singers and sportspeople were recognised for their contributions to Pakistan.
It‘s that time of year again when we start recounting everything that happened in the past 12 months and rounding up our favourite things. To celebrate making it out alive, team Images taking you on a journey through some of the things we liked — and didn’t like — this year.
Buckle up, you’re in for quite a ride.
Asfa: ‘High On You’ by Taha G and Ammar Khaled, since I’m a sucker for upbeat, funk music that makes you wanna dance. Oh! And ‘tv off’ by Kendrick Lamar because, “I make ‘em n****s mad — somebody’s gotta do it.”
Hamza: Ghazals when I wanted to feel something, power metal when I didn’t and a whole lot of indie-pop to fill in the gaps.
Siham: The soundtrack to my year was a playlist of top of the pops type hits from the 70s and 80s. Maybe that’s why my Spotify age was in the 60s…
Zil E: Can I pick an album instead? My Terrible Mind by Talha Anjum, no contest. If it has to be a song: ‘Love in the Time of Socialism’ by Yellow House.
A: Fred Again‘s ‘Victory Lap’ — it wasn’t a discovery as such because Fred Again is very popular, but it did become a staple in terms of how much replay value it had for me. I played it everywhere — at the gym, in the shower, at the beach, in my car, on my birthday. There was also ‘Facilita’, again, by Fred Again, let’s just say the man got me through the year.
H: ‘Arz Kiya Hai’ by Anuv Jain. I actually think I fell in love with Jain’s music this year. He’s got a contemporary voice and the kind of Urdu my parents would be proud of. To quote one of my favourite TV characters of all time, “[HE] MAKES ME FEEL THINGS!”
S: ‘I’ll Believe in Anything’ by Wolf Parade.
Z: ‘Makhamali’ by The Hulaki. This song came into my life as a gift — the result of an unexpected encounter with a Nepali in Singapore. For now, the song lives only on YouTube, which somehow feels fitting.
PS Do listen to the version labelled “Raw Session,” it is my favourite!
A: This has to be Abdullah Siddiqui‘s ‘I Don’t Want to Listen to Your Bad Music’. I probably wasn’t in the right zone when I first heard it but it grew on me because WHAT. A. SONG. In fact, all his latest music, including ‘Humanise’ and ‘Mother’ are so, so infectious. The dude is a blessing for our industry.
H: ‘Maand’, it took a live performance to convince me it was a good song, and it ended up as my top song on Wrapped.
S: I don’t think I have a song that I skipped over and later went back to.
Z: ‘Afsos’ by Anuv Jain and AP Dillon. I am usually not the one to obsess over cliches, but who can stay away from Dillon’s magic for too long?
A: At this point, I really think I have a type. But whatever. ‘Where Is My Husband’ by RAYE, because I didn‘t ask to be introduced and we didn’t formally meet, it’s just that this song has been all over Instagram and therefore in my playlist, played on repeat. It’s not an unwelcome visitor; it’s pretty cool iykwim, but it’s definitely overstayed its welcome.
H: ‘Fa9la’ by Flipperachi. Look, I get it, it’s catchy, but it keeps playing everywhere, at every wedding, in every reel. Please, make it stop.
S: You can call me a hater, but ‘Ophelia’ by Taylor Swift. It‘s not a bad song if you don’t listen too closely to the lyrics, but it’s everywhere and I’m so tired of it.
Z: Guilty of being someone for whom every song obsession sticks around far longer than it should.
A: Despite my very modern music taste, I was 74. I was not happy at first. But I am an avid listener of all kinds of music, even songs dating back to the 60s, so I guess it’s only fair.
H: Not really? My music taste is all over the place; my guess is 31 was just the average they could come up with.
S: It was 62 and I am not 62.
Z: I don’t think so. Honestly, I was expecting a higher number.
A: 2025 was the year I didn’t force myself to watch anything I didn’t like, so if the first 20 minutes sucked, I did not continue.
H: Main Manto Nahi Hoon, what on earth was that, and why?
S: Why spend your time watching things you hate?
Z: Love Guru, it was such a pain to get through. I walked out of the cinema 15 minutes before the end, as I couldn’t make myself go through the torture any further.
A: The Ba****ds of Bollywood. I have a knack for guessing plot twists, courtesy of my excellent pattern recognition skills, so this show was no exception and I guessed the big reveal in the second episode. But boy, was I impressed by how perfectly the story was woven together, its pace, script, characters, even the ragebait Shaumik Talvar and the insufferable Rajat Bedi. Aryan Khan really made the debut of the year!
H: Parwarish. A completely underrated drama, even if they fumbled the ending.
S: Ba****ds of Bollywood, for sure, mainly because I went into it with zero expectations.
Z: Adolescence. I’ll admit it’s a cliché, but I fully expected another forgettable Netflix show. I was wrong.
A: Unfortunately, I couldn‘t find the time to read this year. But I’m looking forward to reading Plestia Alaqad’s The Eyes of Gaza, ESPECIALLY, after my boss — shout out Siham Basir — reviewed it for Images. Just the review teared me up.
H: Okay, this has been an exceptionally eventful year, so I didn’t get to read a lot. That said, I breezed through Sorayya Khan’s City of Spies in under 12 hours. A look into Islamabad’s Zia-era high society packaged into a murder mystery told through a child’s eyes? Sign me up!
S: The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra. It’s a light mystery-ish novel but I loved it so much that for the first time in a very, very long time I stayed up till 4am so I could finish a book in one sitting. Also, my family is originally from South India, so this was a fun look into lives that could have been lived by my great-grandparents.
Z: Palpasa Cafe by Narayan Wagle. Maybe I have a thing for trauma porn?
A: Bunny by Mona Awad, not because I didn‘t like it, but because I didn’t have the time to continue reading…
H: For the third year running, Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Every year, I get through around 200 pages before life happens. I’ll get it next year, for sure.
S: I refuse to give up without a fight, so I’m currently reading five different books in the hopes of finishing them.
Z: I had to pause I Saw Myself: Journeys with Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai by Shabnam Virmani, quite against my will.
A: None. I am not someone who eats out a lot, I’m more someone who orders in.
H: Are coffee shops considered restaurants? I’d probably go with Melbrew and their Strawberry Cheesecake Frappe.
S: Market in Bukhari Commercial! I’m a sucker for a good sandwich and I love their berry cola.
Z: KungFu Noodles! Tucked among the vibrant shops of a bustling tourist lane in Kathmandu, this tiny corner joint became an instant favourite. Slurping a big bowl of what may well be the best noodles I’ve had — rich, heart-warming broth and all — while people-watching made it to one of my favourite moments of the year.
A: I didn’t.
H: A honey-soy base for instant noodles. Beats having to eat the same old masala soup from the packet. Oh, and be sure to sprinkle some crushed noodles on top for a little crunch.
S: Not sure if this counts as ‘cooking‘ because it’s more assembly than anything else, but I learned how easy it is to make Vietnamese rice paper rolls and now they’re quite a staple in our house.
Z: Dahi tarka! Simple, hearty and the best part? It takes 15 mins to cook it.
A: There are ‘food trends’…?
H: What on earth is a food trend?
S: Kunafa chocolate — never, ever again.
Z: Not big on food trends at all. I love putting my heart and soul into whatever I cook. It’s nano’s recipes for me.
A: My favourite isn’t filed yet, cough, but so far, I believe it’s ‘We like to think we’re a better judge of talent than Fawad Khan — and that’s the problem’. And I stand by what I said.
H: My coverage of Karachi’s very own Performative Male Competition. The writing was rushed through in a 9am dash, but the event itself was so fun, and everyone there was so nice. I had a wonderful time.
S: I‘m torn between a serious story and a fun one. The more serious story (but not really) was one I wrote for Prism on the meme-ification of the Pakistan-India conflict in May. The less serious one was a super fun event I covered — Pakistan’s first Cake Picnic! Only one of these stories gave me a stomach ache after, and I’ll leave it to you to figure out which one.
Z: Did a story on the top 10 independent Pakistani films of the year, which was definitely my favourite one so far.
A: It has to be when Zohran Mamdani absolutely destroyed Andrew Cuomo in the NYC mayoral debate. Cuomo had said, “He (Mamdani) has never run anything… He’s never had a real job.” Mamdani referenced Cuomo’s 2021 scandal and replied, “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for with experience.”
H: Tum apni karni kar guzro. Jo hoga, dekha jayega — Faiz Ahmed Faiz
S: No one needs a billion dollars. People need food. The end. — Ms Rachel
Z: Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle, khuda bande se khud puchhe bata teri raza kya hai. I am joking.
A: The Gaza ceasefire. Hands down.
H: The ceasefire in Gaza, even if the hope was somewhat short-lived.
S: The implementation of the e-challan system in Karachi and seeing drivers actually obey the law. It made me think that Pakistan could be a safer and better place if we tried hard enough.
Z: Feeling blank with 99 others. Or am I the only one?
A: A few very personal milestones, I guess.
H: Personally, probably landing my first job. In the news, May 7 and the ‘war’ that followed, I don’t think I slept at all during that time.
S: Realising I have free will and can do what I want.
Z: Took many steps to become more independent this year, which definitely feels like the start of a new chapter.
A: Exhibit A:
H: “Aha, timaatar, bare mazedaar.” If that phrase doesn‘t immediately have you picturing a cat dancing in front of a blue background, we can’t be friends.
S: Memes of Andrew Tate getting his just desserts in the ring, handed out by a man in pink boxing gloves? 10/10, no notes.
Z: Kailash Kher’s “Hehehe hoho zuzuu yeah yeah yeah” meme. My 2025 energy for real.
A: Waoo, what a self-respect.
H: The Ea-Nasir memes recently. Since when did obscure history become mainstream? I am not complaining though, we need more memes from ancient Mesopotamia.
S: The Nadia, Jee memes. S T O P.
Z: The minute my Spotify Discover Weekly started disappointing me.
A: Jet2Holiday.
H: Hawk tuah. It took me well over a week to actually look up the video and it was on its last breaths by then.
S: Does 6 7 count as a trend? I didn’t even pretend to understand it.
Z: I don’t even realise what trends I have missed until someone shoves them in my face. Does that make me a boomer?
A: It’s giving…
H: Aura, probably. I’ve learnt way too much Gen-Z slang this year, but this is the one term I remember actively using at some point. Thanks, Air Vice Marshal Aura-ngzeb Ahmed…
S: Slaps, but I cringe every time I use it.
Z: Not a phrase, but, naurrrrr.
A: At least we have Fawad Khan :)
H: Probably my aversion to gol-gappay, vada-pav, and most chaats.
S: “So everyone has better roads than Karachi?!”
Z: “Karachi has the best food! Punjab doesn’t even come close”.
A: The “Propaganda I’m Not Falling For” trend.
H: All of them, but especially the fake apologies where they‘d go, “Yeah, we’re very sorry we’re awesome and you love us,” that got old very fast.
S: “Marriage is scary. What if he/she doesn‘t ___” and it’s the most basic brand saying buy their stuff.
Z: Wrong person to ask this question from. I barely follow brand campaigns.
A: 🤙🏽
H: 🤯
S: 🥲
Z: 🥲
A: Labubu accessories.
H: Farshi shalwars, no further comment.
S: Tabi shoes. It’s like a cameltoe, but for your feet.
Z: The nerdy glasses look
A: Jorts. On anyone. Especially Hasan Raheem. Especially the ones he wore to the Lux Style Awards. If you keep reading, my colleagues would strongly disagree.
H: Oh, I am a big time hater when it comes to fashion.
S: Hania Aamir at the HUM Style Awards. A lot of people thought it was way too plain for an award show and didn‘t show off any of Pakistan’s glorious embroidery, but I really liked it!
Z: A shalwar with a T-shirt or tank top — my go to since forever. I don’t care what people say, I love it.
A: Best: This Alia Bhatt Cannes look.
Worst: Frieha Altaf at the Lux Style Awards. Why?!
H: Both of my answers are from this year’s Lux Style Awards. Sanam Saeed wore a gorgeous lilac outfit from Shehla Chatoor. It was simple, elegant and the whole look just worked out flawlessly.
And Hasan Raheem… I want to know what possessed him to wear (upside-down) jean-shorts. Boldest look of the night, that’s for sure.
S: Best: Mahira Khan’s looks for the Neelofar promotions. I know all of the promotions didn’t have red carpets, but her outfits were so timeless and elegant.
Worst: Hasan Raheem at the Lux Style Awards this month wearing what I can only describe as upside down jorts. Why were the pockets on his knees? Why did he pair black loafers with fuzzy white socks? So many questions, but I’m not sure I want the answers.
Z: The best, Mahira Khan’s HUM Awards look!
The worst, well, I am sure we all remember that Mehwish Hayat look. Let’s not say more.
A: Micellar water. Moisturiser.
H: Hydration is the key to all self-care, right? So, my water bottle, I guess.
S: At least two lip balms and my water bottle.
Z: Sorry but I have more than one. Cleanser, moisturiser, and sunscreen!
A: Staying calm. The world doesn’t end if something doesn’t work out.
H: The way being employed has fixed my sleep schedule for the first time in a decade, I think I’ll be taking a fixed bedtime into the next year.
S: Trying to only take or use as much as I need. This applies to food, skincare, shopping, books, and everything else. No more shopping for the sake of shopping!
Z: Reading for pleasure, something I recently got back to.
A: Smoking.
H: The fear of “What if it doesn’t work out?”
S: Overconsumption.
Z: Hopefully, my unhealthy eating habits?
A: Kindness.
H: Kindness without expectations, acceptance without exceptions.
S: To quote Jacob Elordi — shame.
Z: Peace! That’s one thing 2025 was lacking the most.