Karachi Eat just ended in a shamble of hooliganism and I wonder if Pakistan can ever host a crowd of citizens on a public forum, or is hooliganism in our DNA?
I remember when the Football World cup was on and restaurants all over the city I live in (Not Pakistan) were streaming matches live. The crowds were massive, restless and charged, and the cafe TV monitors were turned around with a street view, football crazy fans were cheering their team standing in the street, standing side by side, men, women, children, in fact, sometimes, on days when the matches were super competitive, there was literally no space to even stand unhinged in the crowd without sucking your breath in, because the streets were jampacked to capacity.
Of course, cheering was another thing altogether, you just did that if your team scored, regardless of who the person next to you is cheering for!
But although the security personnel could be seen watching from a distance, not a single brawl, stampede or fight broke out. Fans from opposing teams watched together but still, the losers and winners accepted fate at the end of the game.
I remember going to a concert in a city (Not Pakistan) where the crowds were brimming to capacity. The band walked in to thunderous applause, they were revered, real life idols and all, the lead singer crooned to the audiences, the ones up close to the stage crooned back, there was festive in the air, music was a unanimous mood lifter, men, women, children swayed to the rhythm and security personnel stood to the side, keeping an eye, but rarely if ever was there an incident that needed their attention.
Rules were strict. You showed a ticket or you went home.
I remember trying to go to a concert in Pakistan when I was a teenager. I wasn’t allowed. “It’s not safe”, responded my parents. “There will be unruly crowds of people, you will get lost, it’ll start too late, we won’t sleep till you’re home safely, … just don’t go!”
And I didn’t.
But concerts happen ever so often in Pakistan. Young people go. They have fun, they sing along, soak in the vibe, the music, the beat, and sometimes, it’s all good, but sometimes, something goes wrong. Hooliganism, harassment, brawls between two opposing groups, catcalling, throwing empty water bottles on the stage, it all happens there! Oh to be a parent in Pakistan and lie awake till your young adult gets home.
What happened on the final evening of Karachi Eat Festival is deeply regrettable. It is unfortunate that artists and fans could not enjoy an evening in the open air, listening to some live music and enjoying the best street food this city has to offer.
Is it unfortunate that we often let our DNA get the better of us?
Karachi Eat 2023 is a great initiative at enabling the citizens of a city to reclaim their spaces. It is also a place that welcomes the public, not just the elite. Ticket prices are reasonable and the food street-like mela is just what the city needs to wake up to a weekend.
But very often, festivals end up turning sour and the citizens of the city brave the odds, hoping that they won’t be caught up in a one-off event, that they’ll be the lucky ones, that they’ll get home safely, that this one time, all will end well.
Vey often, the chaos has to do with women being harassed at a public venue. Very often, the men who harass or misbehave have gained entry into the venue without a ticket, or disregarded rules of ‘only families’ allowed in, broken barriers, scaled walls or simply, sneaked their way in. Very often the organizers have sold more tickets than the capacity of the venue. Very often, … things don’t end well and twitter goes viral next day with onlookers posting video clips from the events of the past.
Very often, the parents who didn’t allow their teens to go to the concert now turn around and say the one dialogue a young teen never wants to hear: “that’s why we asked you not to go”, very often, that parent might not be aware that their child was at the venue still, very often they will never know, until, unless, unfortunately, their child was the one harassed, or injured … sometimes, it might be too late but very often, all is okay.
Till the next festival or concert in the city.
This country has nerves of steel, and it will keep going on, so will the parents. Because, if you’re in Pakistan, hooliganism is part of our DNA. Not much we can do about it, perhaps, marrying an expat might help?
Point to note: In Pakistan, over 15,000 complaints were registered by women for harassment, rape and family issues from January to August in 2022 . A majority of these cases were registered in the Punjab, and this does not include the cases that are never registered at all, hence the number would be much higher. It is unfortunate that in a country with half the population comprising of women, this gender is still susceptible to abuse and harassment by the other half, more so, that young men think it is okay to assault a woman on the streets, and at a public venue, probably also knowing that there will not be much if any, accountability – that they will, more often than not, get away with it. These men also know that the women they assault might never speak up.
When these men grow up and father children and young boys, the cycle and behaviour pattern might be repeated because, well, we feel that hooliganism is in our DNA? Then what about upbringing, accountability, law enforcement and punishment – perhaps, the fault, dear Brutus, (DNA be damned), is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we our underlings!
Or perhaps, we are, in essence, children of a lesser God?
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of FUCHSIA Magazine.
