The Maria B brand has come under fire for using a private family graveyard as the backdrop for a fashion ad photo from a member of the Bahawalpur-based Abbasi family, the erstwhile nawabs of the once princely state. On Thursday, the designer uploaded images from his newest collection, Roohi, to Facebook.
Images from different Bahawalpur sites were used in the advertising campaign. The private graveyard of the royal family of Bahawalpur was recognised as one of the locations where the models are seen walking and twirling about in the video. Since then, the images and videos have been removed, and the Maria B page has made an apology for the “unfortunate situation”.
Bahawalpur was governed by the Abbasi dynasty for approximately 250 years, from 1690 to 1955. The remains of the Abbasi Nawab family chiefs, including Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi, the former ruler of Bahawalpur state, have been interred in the old Royal Graveyard in Ahmadpur Sharqiya Tehsil of Bahawalpur.
Changez Khan, a descendant of the last nawab’s son Sahibzada Mohammad Daud Khan Abbasi, accused Maria B of conducting an unlawful photo session on his maternal grandfather’s grave in a post on his open Instagram account. He said, “This sketch is my Nana’s mausoleum. My grandfather’s mausoleum is practically being danced on by this model!
When asked about the incident, Khan told a news organisation that the land was both his own property and an ancient family graveyard. The advertisement features a picture of a model spinning on my grandfather’s grave. There are graves for the younger Abbasi family members, including my aunts and grandfather. Maria B, however, unlawfully entered our personal space. Both awful and unethical, this.
He claimed that the graveyard’s caretaker let the women in since he heard that they were visiting the tombs to offer Fateha prayers. I’m not certain, though, that the caretaker is speaking the truth. He could have been bought.
We’re still looking into it, but it’s obvious that the location is a graveyard and Maria B and her team’s insensitivity is inexcusable.
Maria B’s official Instagram page apologised on Friday. A production house planned and executed the most recent shoot for our brand with the intention of showcasing Bahawalpur’s rich cultural heritage, according to the statement. The shoot was edited and distributed without any knowledge of the location’s importance or holiness.”
“We appreciate the people who brought this issue to our attention, and we have taken fast action by removing any pertinent information,” the company said.
The statement stated, “We deeply apologise to anyone who this regrettable act offended.
