Qabool hai... : 45 couples tie the knot

Where heavy expenditure in marriages has become a social bane, an NGO works to celebrate ceremonies of many couples.

SWAT: “I have no words to express my joy,” said the excited Mahboob Ali, one of the 45 bridegrooms who tied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony amid traditional music and exchange of gifts in the scenic Swat valley on Sunday.

“I was sad because I could not bear the expenses of a wedding ceremony as my financial status is very weak. But then the army selected me on merit and provided this opportunity which has gotten me very excited,” Ali told The  Express Tribune.

Extravagant wedding customs and traditional pomp and show at ceremonies which come in the way of many poor people and prevent them from entering family life were set aside by a non-government organisation ( NGO) and the army when at a colourful collective ceremony in Swat 45 couples were united in matrimony.

Under ordinary circumstances this would not have been possible for most of them to tie the knot as the brides had no money to arrange for the evil custom of  jahez (dowry) nor the bridegrooms could afford the valima feast or the exorbitant ‘haq mehar’.

In fact the heavy expenditure involved in executing the marriage bond has become a social bane of our society and prevents millions of marriageable daughters of poor parents from getting married.

Labaik Foundation, a non-government organization, with assistance from the army, organised a collective wedding ceremony for 45 couples
in Swat.

Seraj a member of the foundation said that the area had suffered badly during the militancy and floods, leaving a majority of the poor without any source of income. “We identified different issues facing the affected people, one of which was arranging the marriages of their eligible wards. So we decided to conduct collective weddings in which the poor are supported and helped.”

“I appeal to the national and international organisations to come forward and help us in this philanthropic activity,” he added.

Regarding the identification of deserving couples, he said, “A survey was conducted through the security forces and members of civil society and they identified the most deserving couples in the community,” adding, “This is not the end, we will have more ceremonies in the future.”

Ms Zehra, one of the guests, told The Express Tribune, “Weddings have become a burden for the poor, so this is a good step.”

She appreciated the efforts of the army and the foundation describing it a positive step and asked them to continue it.

The traditional wedding music made the ceremony more enjoyable. Along with the ceremony itself, the organisers also gave daily-use items and necessities to each couple.

Published in in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2011.