-
No fireworks were launched
-
No performances took place
-
Crowd control had failed completely
This was not miscommunication.
It was an operational breakdown.
Islamabad vs. Lahore: The Comparison That Won’t Go Away
On the same night, over 50,000 people gathered at Liberty Chowk in Lahore.
The outcome?
-
Zero vandalism
-
Zero stone-throwing
-
Zero attacks on staff or journalists
-
No destruction of public or private property
Same country.
Same night.
Larger crowd.
The comparison shattered the claim circulating online that the Islamabad violence was a “normal reaction” to disappointment.
Frustration explains anger.
It does not explain criminal violence.
The Video That Reignited the Debate
As footage spread, one video dominated the discourse: Afghan influencer Abdulhaq Hamidi, filmed near the site, angrily condemning the vandalism—while explicitly alleging the involvement of Afghan nationals.
His words were direct.
So was the backlash.
Almost instantly, a counter-narrative flooded X (formerly Twitter):
“People are speaking Potohari. Pashtuns are being blamed unfairly.”
But reply chains quickly filled with clips where Afghan Pashto, not Potohari Punjabi, is audibly spoken. Linguists, native speakers, and neutral observers pointed this out.
The debate stopped being about vandalism—and became about identity denial.
