Pakistan

Karachi grooms face terror charges over wedding fireworks

Police official says very powerful crackers were used during the marriage ceremony creating fear

Afp March 31, 2015

Police official says very powerful crackers were used during the marriage ceremony creating fear. STOCK IMAGE

KARACHI: Two newly-wed brothers in Karachi could be facing long prison sentences after police arrested them on terrorism charges for letting off firecrackers during their joint wedding ceremony.

It is a longstanding, and dangerous, custom at weddings in Pakistan to set off fireworks and fire weapons in the air in celebration, but police in Karachi said this time the happy couples went too far.

Police officer Abbas Golarchi, who booked the grooms along with three other people, told AFP on Tuesday they were charged under the explosives provisions of anti-terrorism legislation.

"Very powerful crackers were being used during the marriage ceremony creating fear among the neighbourhood, a densely populated area of the city," Abbas Golarchi said.

Golarchi said the charges are non-bailable and the five arrested are in police custody awaiting a remand hearing expected on Wednesday.

If found guilty they could face long prison sentences or even the death sentence, though this is unlikely as no-one was harmed during the joint wedding celebration.

Rights campaigners say the country's anti-terrorism legislation and anti-terrorism courts are frequently misused to prosecute cases that have nothing to do with militancy.

More generally, police are often criticised for their heavy-handed approach.

In April last year, police in Lahore booked a nine-month-old boy on an attempted murder charge after his family members allegedly threw bricks at officers trying to collect an unpaid bill.

COMMENTS (6)

Mufazzil | 9 years ago | Reply Very good step indeed. I live near where this incident happened. The accused should be sent behind bars for some reasonable time period.

Basil | 9 years ago | Reply I don't even understand the point of using firecrackers as part of the celebrations. Most weddings are celebrated at night, when people come home from work to decompress and relax and spend some peaceful time with their families. I remember last year there was a wedding celebration where I live and there were series of firecrackers used that sounded like small bombs and grenades going off in a conflict zone. Firecrackers should be banned especially at hours after 9 p.m.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Pir | 9 years ago | Reply It was so loud that your bhabi came running and asked me if the daal has upset my stomach?

Shabilah Syed | 9 years ago | Reply Well done, Living behind the National stadium.. these ppl wrecked the peace of the area they should get a good time in jail and others who follow such nuisance should be punished as well.

Naveed | 9 years ago | Reply It was too loud and horrifying. They should be fined and the government should impose a ban on all these types of fireworks.

Serious | 9 years ago | Reply I live near PIA Planetarium, where this wedding took place. At about 1:00 am, this firework exploded and I woke up alarmed. It really was too loud, loud enough to have been an explosive, and it was terrifying.

Replying to X