An elderly father in Multan attempted to bury his son without a shroud after he could not afford funeral expenses in an incident that has drawn widespread anger on social media.

The deceased, identified as Danish, was to be buried at Rasheedabad graveyard when Lohari Gate police received word of the shroudless burial and reached the scene. The father told police that he was left with no means to buy a shroud or cover any funeral costs. Officers, acting on their own initiative, pooled money from their own pockets to buy a shroud and give Danish a proper burial.

The incident drew an outpouring of reactions online, with many expressing grief and anger over the state of poverty in the city.

“Multan did not just bury a young son. It buried the conscience of Punjab. A helpless father reached the graveyard,” one user wrote.

Another post read: “In Multan, a poor father could not even afford a shroud for his son. Is this the poverty that exists under the Sharif family’s government in Multan?”

Others directed frustration at the government, with one user tagging the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Interior Minister and DG ISPR “those who say the country is moving forward” and urging others to do the same.

Some questioned why the community had not stepped in. “It is surprising that no neighbour or local arranged a shroud. Expecting anything from the government and the elite is a mistake,” one person wrote.

One netizen drew a direct comparison to the Punjab government’s recent purchade of a private plane, writing: “Such arrogance from these ministers and the CM today in Multan, a poor man who lost his son had to take his body to the cemetery without a burial shroud because he couldn’t afford the funeral expenses.”

Another echoed the sentiment: “In this day and age, it is hard to believe that not a single person in his neighbourhood could arrange a shroud. Has humanity truly died in this area? In Pashtun communities, the poor do not even find out who quietly arranged their loved one’s burial.”

One user pointed to Multan’s identity as a city of saints and generous people, writing: “What a shame, is there not a single soul in this city who could have helped? This is a city of Sufis, of elders, of great people.”

Others invoked the late philanthropist Edhi, with one post simply reading: “Edhi sahib, I wish you were still alive.”