While major cities across Pakistan rang in the New Year with fireworks and festivities, celebrations at Islamabad’s Park View City descended into chaos as groups of unruly visitors vandalized one of the capital’s most popular leisure spots.
Footage circulating on social media shows scenes of complete disorder around the famous lake of Park View City, which is known for its illuminated fountain shows and has become a key attraction for families and tourists.
What began as a night of celebration quickly turned into a display of reckless behavior, with miscreants using the large crowds and noise as cover to damage public and private property.
In multiple videos, individuals can be seen smashing and uprooting street lamps, tearing out benches from their bases, and hurling them into the lake. Other clips show people ripping down large New Year carnival banners and decorative installations that had been put up for the occasion.
As soon as the concert wrapped up and the New Year fireworks began, some in the crowd rushed barricades and metal grills, pushing and ramming them until they gave way.
Witnesses reported that a few people even set small fires in different spots around the area, while groups of young men hooted, shouted, and actively tried to create as much disruption as possible. Instead of dispersing peacefully after the event, many seemed intent on leaving a trail of destruction behind.
One of the most alarming aspects of the night was the apparent lack of effective security. Onlookers say there was no visible law enforcement or dedicated crowd-control presence to intervene once things started spiralling.
The security detail that had been arranged for star performers, including singer Falak Shabir, reportedly left the venue soon after the concert ended, leaving the wider public space effectively unmanaged at the most volatile moment of the night.
Adding to the damage, several people driving large vehicles, including Vigo-style pickups, were filmed cutting across green belts and landscaped areas to create their own “shortcuts” out of the venue. Tyre tracks and churned-up soil were left behind where cars and SUVs drove over grass, plants, and newly developed patches, compounding the loss already caused by the vandalism around the lake.
What was meant to be a flagship New Year’s event at Park View City has instead raised serious questions about security planning, crowd management, and basic civic sense.
For many families who had come to enjoy the night, the scenes of destruction and lawlessness turned a festive outing into a disturbing reminder of how quickly a public celebration can be hijacked by a reckless few.
