1.

A man proudly waves the national flag of Pakistan as fireworks light up the sky on the 68th Independence Day.

2.

Paramedics rush to help victims as an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hit the Hindu Kush mountain range, causing massive damage in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

3.

Cracks in the glacier of Hunza valley causing widespread landslides in the area as aftershocks shook the northern areas of Pakistan.

4.

Pakistan Armed Forces held the National Day Parade in Islamabad after an interlude of 7 years on March 23rd. The parade served as a show of strength in lieu of APS Peshawar attack last year and the subsequent military operation, Zarb-e-Azb.

5.

Image Source: Reuters

Sights from the wreckage of a deadly accident between an oil tanker and a passenger bus that claimed 62 lives and left many injured as both vehicles caught fire. The bus was en route to Shikarpur from Karachi.

6.

Source: Dawn

Pakistani athletes participated in the Special Olympics 2015 held in Los Angeles, bagging an impressive 33 medals in total with gold in cycling, badminton, swimming, table tennis and tennis.

7.

Source: The Independent

With temperatures as high as 49 degrees Celsius claiming about 2000 lives, this year oversaw the worst heatwave to hit Pakistan (predominantly Karachi) in decades. Citizens rushed to aid in relief efforts as hospitals were overpopulated and understaffed.

8.

Cricket fans rejoiced as international cricket returned to Pakistan with the Zimbabwe vs. Pakistan series. 60,000 enthusiasts attended the first game held at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

9.

Source: Dawn

A family member mourns in the wake of a blast that rattled an Imambargah in Rawalpindi. This was one of the many hate-crimes committed against the Shia community in various parts of the country.

10.

Pakistan welcomed her first animated feature film, 3 Bahadur, undertaken by Academy Award Winning film director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

11. 

Mother mourns the death of loved one a year after APS Peshawar massacre, one of the darkest days in Pakistan’s history.

 

12.

Flying officer Maryam Mukhtar and co-pilot lost their lives on a routine operation during which the aircraft met turbulence. Given the option to save their lives at the cost of civilian damage, the two chose to eject the aircraft once it was in a safe zone. She was honored with the State Award.

13.

Source: Dailymail

Human rights activist, Sabeen Mehmud’s sandals remain after her assassination by two armed motorcyclists, allegedly after a talk on silencing Baluchistan. Scores of people later took to the streets to protest.

14.

A photo of Syeda Ghulam Fatima taken by Brandon Stanton from The Humans of New York. This photo along with Fatima’s inspiring story of freeing bonded laborers from the Brick Kilns mafia urged 40,000 people into donated over $1,000,000 in less than 12 hours.

15.

Source: Onegreenplanet

Activists came together to rehabilitate Murghzar Zoo Islamabad’s long-withstanding shackled elephant, Kaavan, to a safe sanctuary owing to abysmal conditions. Kaavan was later unshackled due to the outcry by local and international animal activists along with intervention by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

16. 

Atif Anwar tears up upon winning a title at the Arnold Classic Body Building Competition being crowned by Hollywood legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. Previously, Anwar was also the bearer of the Mr. Pakistan title, the first Pakistani to compete at the Mr. Universe pageant.

17.

A victim from Kasur faces away from the camera while recounting personal incidents of sexual abuse. Pakistan was gripped by horror as the biggest child sexual abuse scandal came to light with almost 300 reported cases, most under the age of 14, in Hussain Khan-wala village of Kasur.