Tragedy in Multan

With at least seven dead and 100 injured, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Multan on October 10 had an outcome other than that which the organisers would have hoped for — though it may not have been entirely unanticipated. The dead were mostly young, aged between 16 and 28 years, reflecting the age demographic of the majority in attendance. Deaths at mass events such as this which are emotionally charged are not uncommon in the subcontinent though relatively rare in Pakistan. The factors giving rise to tragedies such as this have many similarities wherever they happen — poor organisation, the venue being unsuitable for the numbers involved, poor or absent safety equipment and procedures, and poor coordination between the organising body and local authorities and entities such as fire and rescue services. All were present to a greater or lesser extent when the Multan incident occurred. Additionally, there was another aggravating factor in that the electricity supply to the Ibn Qasim Bagh stadium had been disconnected before the rally started, necessitating the organisers to obtain generators at very short notice. The levels of lighting may not have been optimal when the incident occurred.

It would have been virtually impossible for the PTI (or any other party or agency) to predict how many people were going to attend the rally. That the numbers in attendance vastly exceeded the resources of the organisers to cater for them cannot be blamed on the PTI, but it does put down a marker yet again for regulating authorities which license public events, both large and small. The control of entrances and exits is of crucial importance if ‘crushes’ are to be avoided and there appears to be poor coordination and control of entry and exit points in this instance. Several of the exit gates to the stadium were reportedly closed for ‘security reasons’ — and there might have been a different outcome had they been opened. It is unlikely that lessons will have been learned, but it is to be hoped that all concerned take note — even if they then choose not to heed the warnings.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2014.

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