Daily Times

In 2022, there were numerous political, economic and cultural events that left a significant impact on Pakistanis.

These included the ousting of a government via a vote of no confidence, a contentious election for the Punjab chief minister and a deeply divided political landscape.

Despite these challenges, social media users in Pakistan found ways to find humour in the situation, creating a number of viral memes and moments that provided some lightness in otherwise difficult times.

Let’s looks back at some of the most memorable political, sports and social media memes from 2022.

ADNAN SIDDIQUI’S FIRE SELFIE — in 2022, the entertainment sector also contributed a few well-known memes. The first was Adnan Siddiqui’s viral picture taken in front of a fire. Even now, memes still often use the viral fire template.

KAANPEN TAANG RAHI HAIN — Bilawal Bhutto’s slip of the tongue during the Pakistan Peoples Party’s long march in February-March has got to be the most talked about and well-liked political meme of 2022. Kaanpen taang rahi hain – a Freudian slip of ‘tangain kaanp rahi hain’ (legs are shaking) – is a catchphrase that is likely to be used in both political and non-political contexts for a very long time. This expression has been used at least once by everyone in the country, including politicians and students.

ANGRY MESSI GOES VIRAL — after Argentina’s triumph against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, Messi lost his cool and made an Argentinean gesture at one of the Dutch players. But in Pakistan, that started to circulate as a meme template.

QUDRAT KA NIZAM — in 2022, Pakistan also took part in significant sports events including the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. The controversial “Qudrat ka nizam” was among the most well-known sports memes. At the Asia Cup news conference, Pakistani coach Saqlain Mushtaq said this phrase when Pakistan unexpectedly entered the T20 world cup finals after almost being eliminated from the competition. It is important to note that Pakistan’s ability to advance to the tournament’s semifinals rested on the Netherlands defeating the South African side – which was quite unexpected.

MERA DIL YE PUKARE AAJA — another very popular meme that was widely shared on the internet was of a young girl dancing to a remixed version of the song Mera Dil Yeh Pukare Aaja from the Bollywood film Naiyya. The video gained popularity on social media platforms. It became a viral sensation and spawned numerous memes and remixes. The crossover between “Dil ye pukare” and Bhanu Pratap Singh caused a stir on social media. Many Indian celebs recreated the dance too.

LAHORE DA PAWA, AKHTAR LAWA — the extremely popular “Lahore da pawa, Akhtar Lawa” was the most recent addition to the 2022 memes log. The local businessman became quite popular overnight because of his distinctive style and speech. Due to his popularity on social media, the man went in several TV shows. There were numerous really humorous crossovers as well, but Akhtar Lawa featuring Shehbaz Sharif is the most well-known.