In 2022, the story of Pakistan was dominated by unprecedented floods that are estimated to have engulfed almost one-third of the country, an ailing economy pushed to the brink of default and the first-ever ouster of a prime minister through a no-confidence vote in the country’s history.

But, as it turns out, none of these events dominated the thoughts of Dawn.com’s readers.

Rather, it was army chief(s), cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s moves past the premature end of his prime ministerial term, a mysterious killing of a Pakistani journalist in Kenya, a decades-old rivalry in cricket and US President Joe Biden and former finance minister Miftah Ismail’s thoughts on Pakistan that occupied their attention for most of 2022 — or so data show.

Scroll down to read more about 10 stories published by Dawn that saw the highest digital traffic in the outgoing year.

10. Biden says Pakistan may be ‘one of the most dangerous nations in the world’

Published: Oct 15

In mid-October, US President Joe Biden raised concerns about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, explaining why he believed the country may be “one of the most dangerous nations in the world”.

The US president made the statement while addressing a Democratic congressional campaign committee reception on October 13, and a transcript of his speech was published on the White House’s website a day later.

Speaking in the context of changing geopolitical situation globally, especially with respect to China, now seen as an arch-rival of the US, he defined Chinese President Xi Jinping as a man who knew what he wanted but had an “enormous” array of problems.

“How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” Biden went on to say.

While the US State Department later clarified that Washington was confident Pakistan’s nuclear assets were secure, Biden’s remarks drew strong reactions across the political divide in Pakistan.

Read more of what Biden said in his October speech and subsequent condemnations of his remarks here.

9. Journalist Arshad Sharif shot dead in Kenya

Published: Oct 24

On a Monday morning in October, Pakistan woke up to the shocking news of journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing thousands of miles away in Kenya. And when the initial shock subsided, condolences, condemnations and calls for an investigation poured in.

Sharif, who was a fierce critic of the incumbent government and the country’s military establishment after Imran Khan’s ouster as premier, had left Pakistan in August after sedition cases were registered against him in different cities.

Initially, Kenyan media quoted the local police as saying that Sharif was shot dead by the police in a case of “mistaken identity”. But later, reports from the Kenyan media reconstructed the events surrounding the killing, stating that an occupant in Sharif’s car at the time of his killing was believed to have shot at paramilitary General Service Unit officers.

A probe into his death is still under way and circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear.

Developments that unfolded on October 24, the morning after Sharif’s killing, can be read here.

8. The ‘One Per Cent Republic’

Published: Nov 10

Former finance minister Miftah Ismail’s thoughts in a November opinion piece on how Pakistan’s “unchanging elite” has been hampering the country’s progress resonated profoundly with Dawn.com’s readers.

In his lamentation of Pakistan becoming “a graveyard for the talent and aspirations of our people”, Ismail concluded: “Pakistan’s elite compact allows wealth and power to perpetuate over generations and keeps everyone else out. This is what’s keeping Pakistanis poor and why it’s necessary to unravel the elite compact.”

Read more from him on the subject here.

7. In instant World Cup classic, India beat Pakistan by 4 wickets

Published: Oct 23

And they met again — this time in Melbourne.

It was around a year after Pakistan inflicted a 10-wicket defeat on India in a qualifier match during the T20 World Cup in late 2021.

As the international tournament for the coveted trophy began again in late 2022, the arch-rivals were set for another face-off in the field, albeit with different expectations.

Pakistan hoped for a repeat of its heroics from the preceding year and India saw the qualifying match as an opportunity for avenging the 2021 drubbing.

Eventually, in the thrilling clash that stretched to the last ball and whose result was decided by the difference of a run, the Men in Blue managed to overpower the Green Shirts.

While former Indian captain Virat Kohli — who faced fierce criticism at home after India’s humiliating defeat at Pakistan’s hand in the previous tournament — redeemed himself and was hailed for his winning knock, the Pakistan side was appreciated for its efforts.

In the end, it was the game of cricket that emerged as the actual winner in a match that “had its heroes, its villains, last-over drama and everything in between”.

See our live coverage of the match here.

6. Pak vs India: Final over controversies explained in light of ICC rule book

Published: Oct 23

The “last-over drama” during the T20 India-Pakistan clash in October included controversies as well; two to be precise.

The first pertained to the umpire’s decision to declare a full toss by Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz, which Kohli smacked for a six, a waist-height no-ball.

The decision was questioned when television replays showed it was a 50-50 call and Kohli was well outside his crease when he hit the ball, although his trailing leg was still on the line.

In a subsequent free-hit delivery by Nawaz, the ball had hit the stumps and deflected towards the third man, allowing Indian batters to steal three runs.

It was now left to the umpires to decide whether this one should be deemed a dead ball as Kohli had been bowled out.

A controversy ensued when the verdict came out in favour of India again.

Here’s an analysis by Dawn.com of the two decisions, keeping in view the International Cricket Council’s rules.

5. Army, ISI in unprecedented presser question Arshad Sharif’s exit from Pakistan, point to PTI’s involvement

Published: Oct 27

“I realise that you are surprised seeing me here,” were the first words that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum said as he caught the nation surprised by his mere presence alongside erstwhile Inter-Services Public Relations director general Lt Gen Babar Iftikhar at a press conference in late October.

It was the first time in Pakistan’s history that the head of the country’s spy agency had directly addressed the media.

The explosive press conference saw the two top military officers address various issues, including PTI chief Imran Khan’s vitriol against their institution and journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing. They also used the occasion to announce that the army had decided to restrict itself to its constitutional role and stay out of politics.

Read a detailed story on the press conference, which a Dawn editorial described as the military establishment reaching for the “nuclear option”, here.

4. Imran Khan disqualified in Toshkhana reference

Published: Oct 21

The stalemate and chaos that characterised 2022 in the realm of Pakistan’s politics aggravated further when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled on October 21 that PTI chief Imran Khan stood disqualified from being chosen as or remaining a member of parliament.

In its ruling on reference against the former prime minister, the ECP concluded that Imran had made a “false statement and incorrect declarations” about monetary proceeds from the sale of gifts he had received from foreign dignitaries while he was serving as the country’s chief executive.

The ruling sparked a debate on the jurisdiction of the election watchdog and whether it had the authority to disqualify the former premier before his trial by a court or tribunal; on whether Imran still held the reins of his party as the chairperson or not, and on the duration of the disqualification period.

The ruling also led to countrywide protests and clashes between Imran’s supporters and police, who used tear gas to rein in the fierce protesters.

Know more about the ECP ruling and events surrounding it here.

3. The legacy of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa

Published: Nov 22

The year 2022 saw former army chief retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa hang his boots after a six-year tenure as the country’s military head and a decades-long career in the armed forces.

Days before his retirement, Uzair M. Younus, director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre, described Bajwa’s legacy in the following words:

“After spending six years as Pakistan’s most powerful man, Bajwa leaves a country in a significantly weaker position: society is deeply polarised, the economy is on the brink of default, foreign partners are withholding significant support due to the ensuing political instability, and the long-term bet on Khan has blown up in the military’s face. Such has been the failure of this experiment that the military is back to dealing with the likes of Zardari and Nawaz to stabilise a collapsing political economy.”

In his commentary, which also explored the wider subject of civil-military ties in Pakistan, he went on to say: “For Bajwa, this is the end of the road and he must be judged by his own doctrine, where it was stated that he ‘would not like to be remembered as Nero playing flute when Rome was on fire’, concluding by stating that the ‘success of any doctrine is not measured by intentions but by the results’. Given the state of Pakistan today, it will not take a genius to figure out how Bajwa’s reign ought to be judged.

Read the full piece by Younus on Bajwa’s tenure as the army chief and what he leaves behind here.

2. Long march blog

Published: Oct 28-Nov 27

In October, PTI chief Imran Khan launched his second attempt at a long march in the outgoing year. The trek, which culminated in Rawalpindi, stretched for almost a month, ending earlier than planned.

It began with the objective of pressurising the incumbent government into announcing early polls, was punctuated by an assassination bid and deaths and ended with an announcement that has given rise to yet another political crisis in Punjab.

See our coverage of the march here.

1. Who will be the next army chief?

Published: Aug 16

Months before Bajwa’s retirement and the appointment of his successor, speculation began as to who would be next to fill in the shoes of the army chief.

The army chief’s appointment was at times mentioned as one of the major subplots in the ongoing political crisis engulfing the country which began following the tabling of a no-trust motion against former prime minister Imran.

A Dawn report in November explained: “It is clear that the positions taken by the ruling allies and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have made the choice of the new commander quite tricky: if one candidate is picked, there is a chance that one of the political parties may try to discredit that appointment in public.”

Another report around the same time highlighted that a deadlock over the all-important appointment also existed between the army and the government.

“There is an impression that one candidate is ‘his man’ or ‘their man’, and this has created an unnecessary controversy,” the report cited a source as saying.

This conjecture surrounding the appointment was eventually put to rest after Gen Asim Munir was appointed as the country’s new military head, earlier considered a proverbial dark horse in the race for the coveted post.

See his profile and those of others considered as probable choices for the top slot here.

Our top 11-15

The next five most-read Dawn pieces of 2022 (numbers 11-15) are:

11. Failure of governance

• Page views: 344,354

12. Imran’s candid take on ‘bad romance’ with military

• Page views: 335,479

13. Belief, not bargains: Did Jinnah really want Pakistan?

• Page views: 334,447

14. World Cup 2022: In thrilling upset, Pakistan beaten by Zimbabwe

• Page views: 330,137

15. A consistent downward slide

• Page views: 324,674

Compiled by Mariam Ahmed Header image by AS Abbasi