A Sialkot wedding stampede at Faraz Cricket Ground on Daska Road left one person dead and 18 others injured during a wedding function, police said. Six suspects have been arrested. A police spokesperson said on Sunday that the deceased was Aqeel, son of Bashir Ahmed.
Rescue 1122 moved all 18 injured people to nearby hospitals. Police said they were discharged after receiving medical treatment.
How the crush began
According to police, organisers had promoted a lucky draw on social media offering cars, motorcycles and other valuable prizes. The campaign drew a much larger crowd than expected. The Sialkot wedding stampede started when a loudspeaker announcement told participants to enter the ground at the same time.
Police said the organisers broke standard operating procedures (SOPs)—basic safety rules for public events—and the conditions of their event permission. That breach, they added, led to public disorder, damage to public property and heavy traffic blockades on the main Daska-Sialkot Road.
FIR, named accused and charges
A First Information Report (FIR No. 1335/26)—the formal police case record—was registered at Motra Police Station on the complaint of Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Mubeen Ahmed Cheema. Nine people were nominated: event organiser Ansar Mahmood, also known as “Mr Patlu”; Kashif; ground owner Haji Shahid Javed; and co-organisers Daniyal, Munir Ahmed, Mohsin Ali, Irshad Ali, Abdullah and Zohaib Mansha. The FIR also refers to 40 to 45 unidentified security guards.
The case was filed under Sections 322, 431, 440, 188, 109, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), the main criminal law, and Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), which deals with public-order offences. Police said six suspects are in custody and that raids are under way to find others who fled.
Official response on the ground
District Police Officer (DPO) Sialkot Captain (retd) Dost Muhammad personally supervised emergency rescue work, kept ambulance routes clear and managed crowd control with large police teams and Elite Force personnel. He said negligence over safety protocols at public gatherings would not be tolerated and that the accused would face legal action strictly on merit.
Families planning large wedding events in the city will be watching how the Faraz Cricket Ground incident shapes enforcement of permission rules. Police have reiterated that organisers remain responsible for crowd size, entry control and compliance with approved conditions.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sialkot ke Faraz Cricket Ground par shadi ke function mein bhagdar ho gayi. Ek shakhs Aqeel ki maut ho gayi aur atharah log zakhmi hue, jo ilaj ke baad ghar bhej diye gaye. Police ne chhe logon ko pakra hai aur baqi ke liye chhaape jari hain. Bheer lucky draw ki wajah se bari thi, is liye bari gatherings mein safety aur ijazat ke qawaid ka khayal zaroori hai.
