Marriage halls reject curb on indoor events

Marriage hall owners, operators and traders in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have rejected the new restrictions imposed by the government, including banning indoor wedding ceremonies, to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, traders of the federal capital have urged the government to instead revisit the standard operating procedures for such events to continue.

In a news conference on Wednesday, representatives of the Marriage Halls Association (MHA) in Rawalpindi rejected the new precautionary measures devised for wedding halls and marquees by the National Command and Operating Centre (NCOC) after a surge in novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases.

The body demanded the government act sensibly and prepare a policy after taking all stakeholders into confidence. Doing this, they said, the government will be able to save over 50 different services which are linked with wedding halls, from complete ruin.

MHA President Zahoor Ahmed, flanked by representatives of other trade bodies including Shahid Paracha, Sharjeel Mir, Malik Arshad, and Sheikh Nadeem, said that they have already endured immense financial hardships for nearly seven months.

Further, Ahmed said that they have cooperated with the government during the first peak of the pandemic.

On one hand, the prime minister announces that the businesses will not be closed while on the other, such decrees are passed, he lamented.

The marriage hall operators also demanded the government formulate a policy after consulting all stakeholders so that the business can sustain themselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2020.