1. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

Her second Emmy for a documentary on honour killings lost its shine after she controversially levelled charges of ‘harassment’ at an AKUH doctor. Trollers accused her of besmirching the nation’s reputation again; yet, she stood her ground and showed dubious and divided Pakistanis that a strong woman will never cower.

2. Mahira Khan

Mahira Khan verbally duelled with Osman Khalid Butt at the LSAs, bagged innumerable prestigious endorsements and reprised her association with filmmaker Shoaib Mansoor inVerna. Yet, the Twitterati whom the actress dubbed “keyboard terrorists” had a field day, criticising her for smoking a cigarette with Ranbir Kapoor, wearing a ‘Some Like It Hot’ dress. The episode reeked of double standards.

3. Aamir Liaquat

Resigning from BOL during his show Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga on Independence Day was a publicity stunt, as he then returned to the channel to host Aisay Chalay Ga.

4. Shumaila Bhatti aka Muhammad Moiz

It’s hard to imagine a male doctor and Fulbright scholar becoming an ‘agony aunt of sorts’ to a generation of young women. Yet, that is the provenance of Muhammad Moiz’s alter ego, Shumaila Bhatti. Reflecting on the daily struggles of middle-class women, the portrayal of Shumaila is ostensibly self-expression, social responsibility and entertainment.

5. Nighat Dad

In light of the murder of Qandeel Baloch, and increased reports of cyber bullying and blackmailing, the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), founded by lawyer and human rights activist Nighat Dad, has become all the more relevant. Previously listed by Time magazine as one of their 2015 Next Generation Leaders, Dad, Director DRF, was named a Ted Fellow in 2017.

Zurain Imam is a fashion, entertainment and lifestyle writer.