Pakistani reality show contestant dies during shoot

Saad Khan, 32, a father of four kids and who belonged to an affluent family was killed when he drowned during a challenge stunt on the first ever reality show attempted in Pakistan, sponsored by a leading multinational company and produced by a big advertising agency.
The incident occurred in an island in Thailand this month but the story broke out when the body of Saad was flown back to Karachi for burial.
Khan, one of the reality show contestants was killed when he accepted a challenge from the show host, well-known Pakistani model Amina Sheikh, sources from the show said.
The stunt required Khan to swim with weights on his ankles but drowned after he suffered a hamstring tear and lost control despite being an expert swimmer, the sources added.
It is being alleged that Khan died as he was not rescued in time and that the director/producers of the delayed help as they prolonged the live shoot of the entire scene.
Another allegation is that Unilever, the company producing the show, did not have the contestants sign any "disclaimer clause" or contract.

A senior manager of Unilever told Geo News that they were waiting for the final autopsy report from Thailand authorities to know exact cause of death.

"This will take some time but what happened is sad and we are making every effort to provide every support to the widow and children of the contestant. We are also in constant touch with his brothers and other relatives," she told the channel.

The manager dismissed allegations of inadequate safety measure saying that there were paramedics, ambulance and other safety equipment present during the show's shoot.

While reality shows are common on Indian television channels they remain a rarity in Pakistan with a few attempts made in the past.
Leading Pakistani tennis star, Aisam-ul-Haq was also approached to take part in the reality show but turned down the offer due to his sports commitments.