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tragedy MOOD STREET I never want to leave Lahore By Haneya H. Zuberi There is something distinct about this city about the sun that shines here, about the rain that pours, about the hustle bustle that goes on the streets. I lived in this city for twenty years before I had to leave in the pursuit of getting my undergraduate education abroad. I might have left but the essence of this city still rests within me. Each time, I come back here to spend my holidays; the invisible magnet hiding under the core crust of this city pulls me towards itself. Town
Talk festival Theatre
for change
tragedy Concert gone wrong What exactly happened when a frenzied crowd crushed three girls to death By Alefia T. Hussain and Xari Jalil At the Alhamra Cultural
Complex in Lahore, the scene is ordinary on the sunny Thursday afternoon.
Two men sit in the sun guarding the main gate as a routine. Besides them
there is no sign of human life inside the complex. A yellow strip cordons
a large square area inside the gate to mark the crime scene. Just a few feet outside
the Complex’s main steel gate, on the side of the road, broken pieces of
glass bangles, hair clips, a broken spectacle and other trinkets possibly
belonging to young girls are strewn on the dusty ground. That’s
extraordinary – because this is the unfortunate spot where three college
girls were trampled to death and several others injured only three days
before. On Monday eve, Jan 9,
thousands of Punjab Group of Colleges’ female students swarmed the
Alhamra Cultural Complex in excitement to rock along Arif Lohar, Ainee and
Atif Aslam. It was a girls-only musical concert organised by the college
– that turned tragic after the frenzied crowd became uncontrollable, and
crushed Maheen Waseem, Sadia Maqbool and Farah Nawaz to death. The time
was 9.45pm. “I don’t know what
my little baby must have gone through,” says Maheen’s father, Naseem
Abbas. “I can’t bear to feel the pain that she must have endured when
so many girls scrambled over her,” his voice trembles. Abbas dropped Maheen to
the concert and was supposed to pick her up later in the evening. When the
sun fell and the concert ended, he approached Gate 1 (near the gallery) of
the Complex, where thousands of parents waited to collect their daughters.
“Anticipating it would be difficult to negotiate the crowd, I headed to
Gate 2 (towards Ferozepur Road),” he recollects. At Gate 2, he saw a
horrendous frenzy of thousands of people on the road, while inside the
complex, even more girls swarmed like bees desperate to come out. “I
told the guards deployed by the college to open the gates but they said
they had orders from Major (retd) Saleem to keep all the gates shut except
the small side gate through which only one student could exit. I persisted
that they should open the gates. Other parents joined in too.” The gates opened
ultimately. “As the girls tried to rush outside, the security guards
pushed them back with batons.” Resultantly, some slipped and stumbled
over the concrete hump outside the gate and got crushed.” Naseem found his
daughter after a long, arduous search in the mortuary of the Services
Hospital – “By then she was blue, and lost forever.” Additional Medical
Superintendent, Emergency at the Services Hospital Dr Yahya Malik says,
“When we received the three girls they were already dead. Other injured
students complained of severe chest pain and minor physical injuries.” While the College
principal has gone undercover, the police have arrested 10 security
persons accused of mismanagement by the parents of the deceased girls (FIR
33/2012 lodged under Section 322/2L and 337of Pakistan Penal Code at the
Gulberg police station). “The accused are already in jail,” says
Investigation Officer Imran from the Gulberg police station. The Punjab Group of
Colleges had booked the Alhamra Open Air Complex for five days – Jan 9,
10, 11, 12 and 16, 2012 – for an annual entertainment event for their
students; on the conditions, among others, that peaceful atmosphere will
be maintained; no objectionable activity will be conducted during the
event; security measures and parking arrangements will be managed by the
organisers and in case of any untoward incident organisers will be held
responsible, according to the notification No. AO(C)/BA/50 issued by the
Office of District Coordination Officer, dated 02/01/2012. In case of any
violation, the organiser was liable to prosecution. What happened on Jan 9
is tragic. Investigations conducted by The News on Sunday hint primarily
to the reckless management of the crowd by the security guards deputed by
the Punjab Group of Colleges. “Some 1000 guards were on duty at the
Alhamra that evening,” says Tahira Qasim, General Manager Media and
Public Relations, Punjab Group of Colleges. This, she says, was a regular
college event. “We have functions every year and have always ensured
foolproof security. But somehow this event got mismanaged because of panic
caused by a bomb scare.” Tariq Zaman, PSO to DCO,
says: “Our investigation reveals that there was no bomb scare. They
simply couldn’t control the girls at the exit.” Officials at the Alhamra
state, “We told them to open the other gates too but they refused. We
told them usually when we have such a large gathering we open all the
gates of the Complex. Their guards said that their supervisor was in
control,” Further, SP Awais
reiterates that it was a classic case of crowd mismanagement. However,
“Major (retd.) Saleem, who was in charge of the security, had ordered
the gates to remain shut after the concert, mainly because he felt
responsible for the girls, that they should be safe until their family
members arrived to pick them up. He did not want girls to be hurt,
kidnapped or even have anyone elope.” The matter has now
reached the “high level” because of the intervention of the district
coordination officer and the chief minister, says the SP, adding, “The
police are usually not in favour of holding large concerts. On such
occasions there is always a fear of attacks by the fundamentalists. In
this case we respected the permission granted by the DCO.” Based on years of
experience of holding international theatre and music festivals at the
Alhamre Cultural Complex, Faizan Peerzada says obviously the crowd was not
managed. Recalling the minor blast during the 2008 festival, he says,
every gate of the Complex was opened, “We had 50 wirelesses functioning
and we tried to play down the panic. We were very gentle in announcing the
blasts. We requested the audience to move out gradually. There was no
stampede then, so why now?” During the
investigation, fingers were also pointed at the organisers packing the
theatre beyond capacity. Some said there were up to 8000 students
attending the concert while the total capacity of the open-air theatre is
5000. Some also said the outside area was not sufficiently lit. Conflicting views were
recorded regarding what created the frenzy in the crowd. An Alhamra
official present on the spot said the girls mobbed Atif Aslam which led to
baton charge and hence the scramble. Nevertheless, “Did
they seriously think they could regulate a crowd of about 8000 girls to
file out one by one at that hour of the night? It’s stupendous,”
worries Naseem Abbas, father of the deceased girl. Also, he was misguided
by the guards – “They lied to me. They told me everything was okay
when the tragedy had already happened?” Abbas is sure, “once
the mourning period ends, I won’t let these people get away.” Certainly the incident
is a lesson at the cost of heavy price of human life.
There is something
distinct about this city about the sun that shines here, about the rain
that pours, about the hustle bustle that goes on the streets. I lived in this city for
twenty years before I had to leave in the pursuit of getting my
undergraduate education abroad. I might have left but the essence of this
city still rests within me. Each time, I come back here to spend my
holidays; the invisible magnet hiding under the core crust of this city
pulls me towards itself. Departing from Lahore is
probably one of the more difficult times of the year for me. The feeling
mimics that of a toddler being separated from the mother, even though it
is for a short time, yet the time spent apart brings impatience and
longing. I never knew I loved
this city this much. From the dusty roads,
endless traffic jams, the long and often futile protests on The Mall,
almost no traffic sense in the average drivers, the ever growing pollution
problem, the widening of roads, the construction of underpasses and
flyovers to the yellow street lights brightening the city at night, Lahore
can never get old or boring. It will not be appropriate if I compare the
city life here with some fast track cities like New York or London but I
can assure that a day in the life of an average Lahorite is as busy or as
crazy as that of an average New Yorker or Londoner, so to say. You can never get lost
in this city. I don’t know a lot of people who use GPS to find their
ways here. If the neighborhood seems unfamiliar, ask somebody around, they
will guide you. Interestingly enough, the population of this city is so
thick that there will hardly be a time when you will feel deserted or
alone in a place here. Somebody, somehow, will always happen to be around
and will be free to help. The eating out tradition
of this city is so strong, that even the harsh wave of terrorism with all
the bomb threats could not surpass it. We just love food that much. Sometimes, when I am
sitting in my dorm room, under the pressure of deadlines, presentations,
readings and all the college drama, I miss my city. I am typing this sitting
at the airport, ready to leave again and I just heard my final boarding
announcement for my flight back. I know it is time to go once again, leave
my city and its people. But I am taking a part of it with me. I am going
to come back again.
*Thesis Display 2012 at
National College of Arts till Jan 20. Bachelor Display. Architecture,
Design: Communication Design, Textile Design, Ceramic
Design and Product Design. Fine Arts: Miniature painting, Sculpture. *Exhibition titled
Letters to Taseer - 1 at The Drawing Room Art Gallery till Jan 20. This is
the first of a three part series of exhibitions dedicated to the memory of
Salmaan Taseer. The exhibition will continue till Jan 20. *Solo Show ‘Journey of
Colours’ by Mashkoor Raza at Revivers Galleria. The exhibition will
continue till Jan 21. *Painting exhibition at
Nairang Gallery titled Floating Hindustan by Michal
Glikson till Jan 19. *Exhibition titled
‘Let the Unsaid be Unsaid’ by Ayesha Siddiqui at Vogue
Art Gallery, M.M Alam Road till Jan
24. *Nai Baat Job Fair 2012
at Superior University on Wed, Jan
18.
festival The atmosphere is tense
and every pedestrian has to make a stop at a walk-thru gate to get frisked
by stern-faced security personnel. There’s no concession for anybody and
visitors coming in groups are asked to disperse and come one by one.
Besides, there are no parking places, roadside vendors and stalls,
drummers (dholchis), malangs and decorated carts on the main road. A weird silence
overwhelms the place which once used to be a center of activities, sights
and sounds of all types. The venue is the shrine of renowned sufi saint
Hazrat Syed Ali Hajveri popularly known as Data Sahib and the occasion his
968th annual urs which commenced Friday last and ends today. The whole nature of the
activity has changed in a year, mainly due to the security risks
associated with the place. The tragic bomb blast that occurred near
Karbala Gamay Shah on the last day of Data Sahib’s urs last year, and
caused casualties in large number is still remembered. Earlier, in July
2010, there were three blasts of various intensities at the shrine
resulting in death of at least 35 devotees. While the security
measures have changed the cultural outlook of the event to a great extent,
they have also led to creation of many opportunities for local businesses
and alternative arrangements for visitors on self-help basis. Though fears of sabotage
are there, devotees are thronging the place in large number and believe
the extraordinary security measures are the biggest hurdle for them. Hafiz
Zahid Husain, a trader in Chemical Market Akbari Mandi, is one such
person. He tells TNS it took him around an hour to enter the shrine. The
biggest problem for him was to find way to the place due to endless road
closures, diversions and lack of proper guidance by worked up security
personnel. He says he could not
find a designated parking lot in the area and had to park his car in
Anarkali. “I had to walk all the way to the shrine. I have a medical
problem with my joints, and I told this to the people deployed there but
they were not willing to listen to me.” It was once he had reached the
entrance gate that he saw a banner stating there was a parking facility
for visitors at the Veterinary Hospital. “Wouldn’t it have
been better if these banners were placed at traffic diversion points?”
he questions. Nawaz Khan, a visitor
from Badami Bagh, is seen quarrelling with the staff of Auqaf department
which manages affairs of sufi shrines in the province. On inquiry, he
tells TNS they are not allowing him and his friends to carry a deg to a
place closer to the shrine calling it a security risk. Nawaz says
there’s no way these people can scan his deg full of chicken pulao. Problems faced by the
public apart, the security personnel have reasons to explain for their
strict vigilance of the shrine and areas surrounding it. Punjab Police DSP Babar
Ali says they know devotees have to walk all the way from distant points
to the shrine but they have no other option. He says the senior police
authorities of the district decided well in advance that allowing parking
in the basement of the shrine is a huge security risk during the urs.
Besides, he says, all the areas falling in 200 meter radius of the shrine
have been declared high-risk areas and cleared of all temporary
encroachments and parking stands. This may cause some inconvenience to
people but they must realise all this is being done for their very
security, Babar adds. Previously, devotees
from different parts of the country, students of seminaries and homeless
people would bring in their belongings and stay in shrine premises
throughout the urs. This time personal belongings like blankets, utensils,
pillows etc are not allowed and nobody is being allowed to sleep there. This step has brought
more revenues for the small hotels situated in the shrine’s vicinity.
Muhammad Javed, a hotel staffer, tells TNS people have come from as far as
Karachi and Peshawar. Some, he says, come with their family members for
spiritual healing as well as enjoying their Lahore visit. Javed says the hotels
here are also offering deras (open areas) to groups, which cost much less.
These are like dormitories with shared living areas and toilet facilities.
Previously, such groups could stay inside the shrine but now they have to
stay with them after thorough security and identity checks, he adds. Two other interesting
features this year are setting up of private langars and a site camp by
the Sui Northen Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). One such langar named
Mustafai Langar has been set up at Hizb-ul-Ahnaf which according to
careful estimates will offer two and a half lakh meals during the
three-day event. The SNGPL was requested
to set up a camp here and ensure the gas pressure is enough to help
cooking of meals in time, says Punjab Auqaf Minister Haji Ehsan-ul-Haq
Qureshi while talking to TNS. Last year, the low gas pressure caused a lot
of problem for people organising langars, he adds. The minister tells TNS
Rs 71 lakh have been allocated by the department for langar and other
activities during the urs. The arrangements made privately by
philanthropists, businessmen and influentials are in addition to this. The
Punjab Auqaf department, he says, has provided space to these people where
they will host meals for the visitors and the needy from their own
pockets. Auqaf Department
Director General (DG) Religious Affairs Dr Syed Tahir Raza Bukhari tells
TNS the cultural side of the event is still intact. He says during the urs
they are conducting seminars, highlighting sufi thought at mass level,
holding intellectual debates at educational institutions, organising
qira’at, na’at and qawwali events and promoting the teachings of Data
Sahib in the light of his book on Tasawwuf (mysticism) Kashf-ul-Mahjub. The Auqaf department has
also arranged complimentary distribution of the newly released version of
Kashf-ul-Mahjub’s translation by Abul Hasnat Syed Muhammad Ahmed Qadri,
says Bukhari who has done extensive research on the contents of this book.
Special efforts have been made to remove errors of proof-reading, make the
translation easily comprehendible, add numbers of Quranic verses quoted in
the book and place vowel sounds to help readers pronounce the Arabic text
correctly, he concludes.
Theatre
for change Theatre, in particular
commercial theatre in Pakistan, has gone through many stages of
transition, from being almost dormant to a temporary revival, then being
lost to oblivion, waiting for a messiah to resurrect the art of drama.
What is interesting to note nowadays is that the general trend towards
theatre and stage-acting has changed, especially in the younger generation
that has begun to venerate the likes of Chekhov and Ibsen, and trying to
use the medium of drama to delve into and display the multilayered issues
that exist in any society. Going with this idea,
The World Theatre Federation is staging a play called ‘Rayaan’,
written, directed and even acted in by Saad Sultan, from January 16 to 20
at the Alhamra Arts Council. ‘Rayaan’ is a social tragedy that depicts
feudalism deeply entrenched in the society and in direct conflict with
democracy. Saad Sultan, a 24 year old fervent playwright, has already
staged a play ‘The Ethics of Job Hunting’ (2007) which received many
positive reviews when it was first staged. Driven by a passionate
love for theatre, Saad seeks to entertain the general public irrespective
of the commercial value of the plays that he writes or directs. For him,
“theatre engages the audience and gives them a chance to participate in
the process of ‘revealing the truth’.” When asked why he is
staging a play about social tragedy, he said, “The primary goal of the
play is to entertain.” For Saad, theatre or for that matter, the
playwright’s job is not to change the way people behave or think. He
says, “I do not preach, I can only show the general landscape, and may
be prompt people to think about the issues that are affecting the better
part of the society.” Similarly, ‘Rayaan’
is a story that revolves around the idea that ultimately the democratic
ethics will take over the feudal mindset. The protagonist Rayaan embodies
the feudal ethic and the democratic ethic is represented by Mansur, who is
like a father figure to Rayaan and is very sympathetic towards him.
Rayaan’s mother, the ruler of her nation, has been killed in a suicide
attack. A supernatural creature demands of Mansur to take Rayaan’s life.
Here Mansur is faced with a dilemma that will change everyone’s lives
forever. The play draws many parallels with the contemporary
socio-political scenario. However, Saad asserts that the play is
essentially entertainment. However, Younus Chowdhry,
one of the main characters of the play asserts that the prime motive of
any play is to “try to effect change, whether or not the establishment
supports the endeavour.” The play is in English,
and its target audience is primarily the English-speaking strata of
Lahore. “I believe that English is currently the official language of
our country. Hence, the play is meant to provide the English-speaking
elite of the city with food for thought.” What is also interesting to
note is that the actors in the play belong to the local schools and
colleges aged 17 to 40 years. The actors along with Saad Sultan as the
lead inspiration are so motivated to do something for theatre that they
are even willing to overlook the commercial aspect of the play. “Instead of tickets,
we have passes which are available to everyone and anyone who wants to
come and watch the play,” reiterates Saad, who says that he is not
really worried about the turnout. He simply wants the message to be heard
and subsequently spread. The immediate goal of the company is to put up
the play in Lahore “but if the turnout is encouraging,” says Saad,
“we might take the play to other cities as well.” |
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