Police have arrested six people and are searching for the online personality, as local reports say the event’s permit was cancelled hours before thousands of fans surged towards the gates
At least two people have died and 18 were injured in a crowd crush at a pre-wedding celebration for Pakistani TikTok personality Ansar Mehmood in Sialkot, Punjab, on Saturday night. Thousands of fans converged on a cricket ground on Daska Road after he used social media to invite them with promises of prizes, including a car and 50 motorcycles. Police say six people have been arrested and Mr Mehmood, known online as Pattlo, has not been found. He has about 814,000 followers.
How the crush happened
According to police, the gates stayed locked until a huge crowd had gathered, and the surge began when an announcement allegedly told people to enter all at once. Muhammad Rafiq, injured at the scene, told BBC News Urdu that many believed those who got in first would win prizes. He said attendees had been told prizes would be given out after 9pm. Abdul Rashid, from Zafarwal, said he was hurt protecting his young son and claimed organisers and guards had no workable plan to manage the crowd.
BBC News Urdu described online video that appears to show guards hitting and pushing people with sticks, but said it had not verified it.
Sialkot’s District Emergency Officer Naveed Iqbal said the rescue service was not told in advance about the gathering. Rescue 1122 reportedly sent four ambulances and a motorcycle ambulance, taking casualties to Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital in Sialkot.
The victims
Minute Mirror named the dead as Muhammad Aqeel, 30, from Baddha Goraya, and Rehan, 22, from Gulotian Kalan. It reported that Rehan was moved to Lahore in critical condition and died on Sunday 1 November, which would explain why early police statements gave a lower toll. Local reports describe him as a daily-wage labourer who supported his mother and siblings. The same outlet claimed more than 40 further people sought private treatment, a figure not confirmed by police or hospitals.
The injured, aged from 22 to 51, came from several Punjab districts.
Permit and police case
An unnamed local officer told Arab News: “Six people have been arrested in connection with the incident, while TikToker Ansar Mehmood alias Pattlo, who allegedly invited people to the wedding celebration through social media, remains at large.”
Minute Mirror reported that a Muhammad Kashif obtained a no-objection certificate on 28 October for a private mehndi and musical gathering. It said Deputy Commissioner Awais Mushtaq cancelled it on 31 October after breaches of its conditions were identified at about 4pm, after crowds had begun arriving. The documents have not been independently verified, and it is unclear who received the order or when.
A first information report (FIR 1335/26) was registered at Motra Police Station at 9.50pm. It names Mr Mehmood and, according to local reports, eight others, including the owner of the ground, along with 40 to 45 unidentified private security guards. Police say possible charges include breaching safety procedures and permit conditions. Local reporting says the FIR cites several Pakistan Penal Code sections covering causing death through an unlawful act, disobeying official orders and unlawful assembly. All those named are suspects, not convicted.
Minute Mirror reported that Mr Mehmood called the gathering a private family celebration, said permission had initially been granted, said the turnout was more than expected, and expressed sorrow and a willingness to cooperate. That account has not been confirmed independently.
The prizes
Promotional claims vary. Daily Pakistan and BBC Urdu reported advertised cash of Rs20m alongside a car, 50 motorcycles and phones. Minute Mirror reported promises of gold and dowry packages. Advertised prizes do not show organisers had them.
Other deadly crowd crushes have been reported this year, including at a Haitian tourist site in April and a London music festival in August, according to the original report.
