In Pakistan we often look towards the media to highlight the injustices of this society. But what about when the media becomes a source of injustice by virtue of their silence on a matter of people’s life and death? What do we do then?
On the 28th of April, ARY Zindagi was shooting an episode of it’s popular ‘Eidi Sab Ke Liye‘ at the Bahria Enclave in Islamabad when tragedy struck.
The audience stand at the venue collapsed, injuring and reportedly killed at least one person. Yet not a single news agency covered the horrors suffered by members of the public due to negligence of the TV show and channel staff.
WARNING: The following video is extremely graphic.
Graphic video of disaster which followed as stage fell at #AryZindagi event Bahria Enclave 28 April. Several injured. Media silence criminal pic.twitter.com/HmsfdCGNzk
— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) May 6, 2017
The main allegation levied against ARY and organizers at Bahria Town is that they immediately switched off all the lights at the venue, packed up and basically making a quick dash.
WARNING: The following video is extremely graphic.
ARY's show Eidi Sab K Liye Incident | 28 April, 2017 | Bahria …
Ever thought? If a News Channel Could hide it's own Crime Story?
Posted by The Logical Pakistani on Samstag, 6. Mai 2017
In this video above, people are heard begging for the lights to be switched back on. This is something you can hear throughout this video.
Having watched this video over and over (just out of total shock) I feel as though you can also hear people packing up equipment and driving off.
Majority of videos about the incident are allegedly made by victims, with phones, and not by any professional news agency, adding to allegation that there was an apparent cover up
Pictures of an ‘Inquiry Report’ on the incident by the Bahria Town management have surfaced on Twitter and Facebook.
So far there has been no outside confirmation, corroborating this report, on the fact that Bahria Town dispatched ambulances and help for the victims. Many eyewitness reports claim that people had to help each other out and no one from the organizing parties was there to help out.
So far, none of the affected families have been contacted by either ARY or Bahria Town management.
Just spoke to 2 affectees. One's wife died & other's mother suffered spinal injuries in 28 April #AryZindagi event. Silence from Media/Govt pic.twitter.com/tiJDfJ78P7
— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) May 7, 2017
The Dawn News TV show Zara Hat Kay is the FIRST one to talk about the incident on mainstream television.
An affected father, Aftab Mehmood spoke to the show and had chilling things so say. According to him, when his son and friends approached the mainstream media they were told the story won’t be run without confirmation. Mehmood, further, said that hospitals in Islamabad like Shifa Hospital allegedly exploited the victims’ situation and charged incoming patients 16000 to 17000 PKR for simple bandages and treatment.
Awwad Shahid was there the day of, and wrote a blog for the Nation. He had this to say:
Most of the management staff escaped the site the moment the stalls collapsed. They even turned off the lights; making it even harder for the wounded guests to assist each other. They even took the gifts they were supposed to distribute to the audience.
I ignored the bleeding gash on my own foot, as my younger cousins were clearly in greater distress. I tried helping those around me who I could, and begged forgiveness from dozens more who were beyond my capacity to assist. My father and I helped our family back to the car, and we drove away to PIMS hospital.
In the past couple of days since the event, we have been dismayed to learn how inadequately this incident has been covered in the media. Considering the this event was itself organised by a certain media group, we expected them to be the first to report this “Breaking News” on their channel. Instead we have experienced what can be most leniently described as ‘journalistic negligence’, if not a scandalous ‘cover up’.
Media blackout and possible corporate censorship, leading to such blackout are also elements worth looking at, in this incident
The discussion tended towards the claims that ‘money’ spoke louder than morals and ‘good journalism’ in this case. It was said that Bahria Town and Development is an organization that has thrown money at almost all media agencies in Pakistan, and it has done so with the sole purpose of keeping its image clean. No media agency at the time of this incident was brave enough to step up and make them answerable also. This was the claim made by team of Zara Hat Kay.
#BahriaEnclave Accident #MediaSilence #pressureGroups and #CorporateCensorship@Xadeejournalist @ZarrarKhuhro @WusatUllahKhan @Dawn_News pic.twitter.com/HGhm7u0c4C
— ZaraHatKay (@ZaraHatKay_Dawn) May 8, 2017
People have vehemently condemned the incident on social media
Criticism has been directed at ARY for their gross negligence in ensuring safety of the highest standards, The TV show management and Bahria Town management.
Shame on Pakistan media for complete black out of 28 April incident happened in Bahria Town in which 30 people died while 150 injured.
— Ikramullah khan (@Ikramkn) May 7, 2017
@MJibranNasir @ZaraHatKay_Dawn @GFarooqi @NasimZehra @fawadchaudhry @MahrukhQureshi @WaseemBadami @meherbokhari @MoeedNj @shazbkhanzdaGEO @Xadeejournalist @ShahzadIqbaal Bahria Town blackmailed TV channels of pulling out their advertised documentaries & money, so they all kept their mouths shut on this issue.
— Dr. HΛQ (@ahmadhaq) May 9, 2017
God forbid! Had this #BahriaTown #ARYZindagi incident happened during any political gathering #Media would tear them apart @Xadeejournalist
— Faraz Ahmed Jan (@FarazAhmedJan) May 8, 2017
Activist and lawyer, Jibran Nasir, is opening up his legal aid for anyone in dire need of it after this horrific incident.
Please help spread the message. Anyone injured in the 28 April #AryZindagi event can email us at aapkayhaqooq@gmail.com for legal aid.
— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) May 8, 2017
It is indeed shameful to realize that no one felt that lives of hundreds of innocent victims were important enough.However, now that the incident has happened, what matters now is that organizers are held accountable for their mismanagement and negligence.
The media’s silence on this matter is deafening and it is high time that the administration of both organizations speak up to clarify the truth, because in incidents like this silence amounts to complicity.