I would request parents to let their children decide where they want to marry
ISLAMABAD: It is hard to believe that we are living in the 21st century where parents still force their children to marry according to their consent and wishes. I would like to condemn this brutality being committed by so-called literate parents. Nowadays, the practice and coercion are becoming common in urban areas as well, where such gruesome acts are being carried out in the name of consent and parents’ wishes. A recent incident happened in Rawalpindi where a couple committed suicide after allegedly failing to convince their parents to bless their marriage. Both of them were forcefully engaged earlier to other people against their will, which compelled them to take this extreme action.
This egoistic frame of mind even exists in the expatriate Pakistani community that brings up their children in other cultures and then forbids them to take the most important decision of their lives. Gone are the days when a couple would spend its entire life in the name of compromise. Now, marriages only last on the basis of understanding, mutual respect and care, which could only be provided when there is love and affection among them. Are we forgetting the teachings of Islam, which has given children the right to marry according to their wishes? I would request parents to let their children decide where they want to marry and if parents have objections in their choice, then convince them through logical reasoning. And, if they are unable to convince their children, then let them fulfil their wishes instead of forcing them to marry somewhere else.
Dawood Khalid
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2016.
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