The year 2025 was a rollercoaster in every sense. From the start of the year with Donald Trump’s return to the White House to Pakistan taking center stage in the world of diplomacy, and from artificial intelligence (AI) becoming an unsustainable monster to the fragile ceasefire in Gaza – everything kept us on the edge of our seats all year round.
At Big Picture, we kept a close eye on everything that needed attention, publishing works that not only highlighted some of the most defining stories of our time, but also those that asked tough questions and sought context.
Over the past year, we’ve published over 80 reported features, commentaries and essays that explored topics including human rights, climate change, technology and artificial intelligence, politics, sports, health and culture, among others. Each piece is carefully selected to reflect our belief that journalism and the power of words, when combined with urgency and rigor, can have a positive impact on the world around us.
We worked closely with our diverse list of contributors and reiterated the need for important stories in times of great uncertainty. This year-long roundup is therefore not only a celebration of our output, featuring some of the best and most widely read pieces, but also an ode to the power of the written word at a time when it is sadly being taken over by bots and machine learning models.
While we enjoyed editing and reading everything published on Big Picture this year, we’ve compiled a shortlist of works that stood out to us, as well as those that were read the most by our readers.
We analyzed the potential impact of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency on not just the United States, but the world at large, especially Pakistan. His attempt to become the ultimate peacemaker and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, his team’s twisted but somewhat attention-grabbing social media strategies, and his flimsy pace deal as a mediator amid Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza were all covered on the Big Picture.
Pakistan’s diplomatic strategies and nuclear deterrence, its restraint during India’s unprovoked attack in May, the disinformation and fake news that took over not only the internet in both Pakistan and India, the gimmicks of our rivals’ mainstream media (which made even us in Pakistan cringe), New Delhi’s threats to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, and all other Kash Treaty issues needed to unravel the Indus Water Treaty. We also addressed Islamabad’s policies regarding Afghanistan by seeking expert analysis on the subject.
We examined Pakistan’s worsening political landscape, including an in-depth look at the February 8 general election a year later, as well as the two-year anniversary of former prime minister Imran Khan’s imprisonment, and also delved into the implications of the draconian PECA law. The country’s Independence Day was also viewed against the background of history and contemporary challenges faced by the nation.
This year, Pakistan also remained in the grip of terrorist attacks, prompting us to study the need for a counter-narrative and the unfinished war against terrorism.
Our contributors wrote about the slow death of thought due to AI as well as the technology that distorts reality and obscures the truth on the controversial social media, X. They asked questions about whether AI will fill gaps in mental health or will it steal paychecks from professionals.
We also featured brilliant women making waves in Pakistan’s tech sector and studied the government’s inclination towards the world of cryptocurrency.
Our contributors wrote about the long-term impact of COVID-19 on women’s health issues often swept under the rug, including the critical need for the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, a look at what endometriosis entails, and women’s struggles with cortisol.
Our platform also gave space to the often-dismissed topic of suicide as well as raising awareness of breast cancer – the two pieces that were treated with enormous care and sensitivity.
This year saw several incidents that raised our awareness of several human rights and social justice issues that are often dismissed as bureaucratic, systematic or infrastructural failures.
For example, Karachiites are relentlessly killed in road accidents, the recent tragic incident of a toddler dying after falling into an open manhole in Karachi, the collapse of a residential building in the city, and the growing concern for the safety of laborers and garment workers working in hazardous conditions.
The menace of human trafficking was also explored in depth following several incidents where Pakistanis lost their lives at the hands of human traffickers.
Our contributors touched on gender issues, including the rising cases of gender-based violence and patriarchal chains that keep women away from legal awareness.
One of our most read pieces, and not just culture pieces, this year – published on Valentine’s Day – noted lessons on love from the “K-Drama” lens, while exploring the evolution of the Dholki in Pakistani weddings was not only an enjoyable read for us, but also became a reader favourite. The farshi shalwar trend was also the highlight of the year that we didn’t want to miss.
The meme wars between Pakistan and India amid the brief war-like situation was not just a political but a huge cultural moment we couldn’t afford to miss. We also got a glimpse into the world of cricket as Pakistan hosted the 2025 Asia Cup.
Our contributors traced the legacy of legendary folk singer Mai Bhagi and philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, and also wrote about the dilemma of abandoned writers and artists like Mushtaq Kamlani and Humera Asghar, whose tragic demise left people mourning the life she lived as a woman in Pakistan.
A personal essay exploring longing for the saptaparni tree across the border in Delhi, a tribute to Dr. Arfa Zehra and a heritage walk in historic Lahore, stood out as some of the moving pieces we housed this year.
At Big Picture we were still concerned about the need for the much-needed work on climate, environment and conservation.
That’s why we commissioned reported features and expert analysis on the devastation of floods, the impact of climate change-induced devastation on women, the canal fight in Sindh, saving endangered wildlife, rethinking urban flood resilience and seeking accountability from the environmentally damaging companies displacing indigenous communities in the southern province.
Whether smog can be tackled by implementing AI technology or whether electric vehicles could help clean Pakistan’s air were also among the topics we analyzed.
While this shortlist is not enough to reflect our dedication to producing good journalism and writing, it does emphasize that both quality and reader interest go hand in hand. This year taught us that our work is meaningful, responsible and able to initiate discourse on important topics, offer readers to consume quality content and maybe make a difference too.
