Kaifi Khalil, who recently performed at one of the country’s biggest food festivals Karachi Eat, just shared a statement about his experience of the event. The event, the logistics and management of which got out of hand on the last day, is currently being criticized on social media for not having proper security measures and arrangements. Amidst all the backlash, it was also rumored that Kaifi Khalil got injured during his performance as a result of a bottle being thrown on stage, but the singer took to his social media to deny any such news.
“Hello everyone. I would just like to clarify the fake news that’s circulating around about me getting injured during my performance at the Karachi Eat yesterday which is not true. I appreciate everyone being concerned about my well-being and inquiring about it, but I am totally fine,” he wrote.
He then went on to describe the unfortunate events that took place due to which his performance had to be cut halfway. “I will say that I am extremely disappointed and upset because of what happened yesterday. Ladies that came out to enjoy the evening with their family and friends were harassed and treated inappropriately by a group of individuals that lacked decency and common sense. The event got cancelled mid-performance because I couldn’t continue with what was going on and because it became a safety concern for people in the audience as well,” he wrote.
“I request the organisers to please take into consideration the safety of everyone attending when choosing the venue for such events specially the ladies, so such incidents don’t happen. These events get organized so that people can come out to enjoy but there are some people who ruin the entire experience for everyone,” he added.
He also shared how this isn’t the first time such an experience has happened with him. “This is the second time that this has happened at an event that I’m performing at and it’s disgusting and unacceptable. I’m not sure why this keeps occurring but it needs to stop. How can I perform when this happens? I request that everyone please be mindful of each other and treat everyone with respect,” he wrote.
“This is a message to all the people that feel entitled and think it’s acceptable to act inappropriately and harass someone,” he concluded.
Hello everyone thank you for your pure love and support. kindly Read this and share. pic.twitter.com/QWLseK2EbN
— Kaifi Khalil (@kaifi_khalil) January 9, 2023
In fact, other performers like Taha G and Ali Tariq also apologised to their fans for stopping their performances midway and cited these unruly events as the reason.
The organisers of the event shared a statement with Express Tribune explaining the situation. “A large crowd tore down the walls, fought with the security present, scaled the barricades to enter the premises and spread fear to those present at the event. Despite security measures, the crowd was extremely unruly and stormed through the event causing harm to our security as well,” the statement read.
“We keep the ticket prices as low as we can to make the event accessible to all. Hiking the price will only make it possible for the elite to attend which defeats the purpose of the Eat festival. It will not remain inclusive anymore. Day one saw even more numbers of crowds than day three and yet day one went on smoothly as did day two but the mob on day three that violated the security measures ruined the festival for the people present,” the organisers added.
“The idea of reclaiming our public spaces is what this event was about. This is why we started this. If we are now forced to do events in barren lands because we do not have the self-discipline or the responsibility to conduct ourselves in a manner that allows everyone to enjoy without feeling harassed then that is a sad statement on what we are as a society,” the statement concluded.
