There were lights. There was music. And…there was controversy. Bayaan’s concert at IBA had a little bit of just about everything. Now, with the dust having settled, perhaps it’s time to take another look.
Build-up To The Concert
Organized by IBA’s very own Community Welfare Society, the fund-raising concert was shaping up to be a phenomenal event. With 9th December drawing closer, tickets were flying off the shelves, promotions were in full swing, and a general sense of anticipation permeated the air. As is most often the case, the sea is calmest before the storm.
The Concert Itself
Hordes of people descended upon Fauji ground on Wednesday evening, as the concert finally got underway. Expectations were high but duly met, as the talented ‘Moharr’ band set the tone for the night with their remarkable opening act. With Bayaan’s arrival on stage sometime later, excitement reached a crescendo as the soft glow from the lights illuminated the eager faces below. Up to that point, it had been all sugar, no spice.
Yet no sooner had Bayaan galvanized the crowd with a few songs, that the stage went dim, and the concert was abruptly called off. Pure chaos ensued as CWS’s security team attempted to disperse the increasingly rowdy crowd who had begun chanting for refunds.
The reason given for the hasty evacuation was an “external security threat”. It was later discovered, however, that pressure from the Karachi University’s administration had forced IBA’s hand when ‘questionable actions’ occurred at Safeet (an infringement of the security guidelines posted earlier). But this also brings us to another question on what was security at IBA doing when all this was happening?
Aftermath
A supposedly marvelous fun-filled night, passed instead in a blur of apologies and strangely, memes, as internet comedians took to social media to express their disgruntlement. Bayaan themselves were undeterred, however, and made a video in tandem with CWS, to express their view:
Perhaps, in all this pandemonium, the true purpose of the concert was lost. It was, for all intents and purposes, a fund-raiser at heart, to help the less privileged among us. While jokes and accusations are inevitable, they should not overshadow the funds raised. (CWS will post the exact amount later).
Spare a thought too for the folks over at CWS who saw the nightmare unfolding before their very eyes.
This year, we (CWS) had the goal to include as many people as possible in creating awareness towards the cause of thalassemia. The past two weeks had been the most hectic for everyone involved with CWS, however, risking the security of almost 1500 people just to have a successful event is conflicting to what CWS stands for. Please look out for our next events which will be bigger and better!
Maham Siddique (Manager CWS)
