Dawn Images

In the wake of singer Quratulain Balouch’s encounter with a brown bear in Deosai, a blame game has broken out between the organisation that hosted her and the local wildlife department.

Todd Shea — an American singer-turned-philanthropist — has blamed the negligence of the local administration for the incident. However, officials in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) have claimed the singer and her team did not follow their advice, which led to the unfortunate incident.

At a press conference held at the National Press Club in Islamabad last week, Shea — who founded Comprehensive Disaster Response Services, which hosted Balouch in GB — said the singer was in Skardu to take part in relief efforts following the deadly floods that struck the province earlier this year.

Saying that her visit to Deosai was also part of the same trip, Shea said the incident occurred during a short stopover at the Bara Pani campground in Deosai. Shea claimed their local driver had told Balouch that the place where they had pitched their tent was safe. However, he maintained that a bear had been sighted in the area just an hour earlier, but this information was not shared with Balouch.

He said the artist was in her tent and had just fallen asleep when the adult brown bear attacked her, clawing at her arms, which she used to protect her head from serious injury. He also claimed there was no food in the tent, adding that thanks to the quick-witted photographer accompanying her, who used his car to scare the bear away, she was able to escape serious harm.

The singer’s condition is now out of danger, and she is recovering, he said, adding that Balouch was under a lot of mental stress. However, the Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife department denied the allegation, saying Balouch had come to Deosai on Sept 4, and field staff had asked her team to fix her tent near the department’s camp.

However, the statement said, she did not follow the advice of wildlife staff, adding that due to the cold weather and the low numbers of tourists in the area, bears were roaming further afield than they usually do. There must have been some food items in the tent, and the smell attracted the bear, as this incident happened for the first time in the history of Deosai,” the department said.

Originally published in Dawn on September 15, 2025.