DUBAI, July 24: The wedding is over with more than 500 mostly unnamed guests feted to a lavish dinner in the most luxurious and colourful environment possible in Dubai. Now the guessing game is on about who came and who didn’t.
The hype about the Dubai wedding of Mahrukh, daughter of fugitive Indian businessman Dawood Ibrahim, with Junaid, son of legendary cricketer Javed Miandad, was created mostly by the Indian media who thought it a good chance to prove their theories regarding the whereabouts of their most wanted man. But extremely tight security around the venue left most of the journalists, especially those arriving from India, disappointed.
“There was nothing to report, absolutely nothing to report,” an equally disappointed Pakistani journalist, working for a TV channel operating from Dubai Media City, told Dawn.
But Mr Ibrahim was not there. Dawn has learnt through a reliable source that the bride’s father definitely did not attend the wedding. “He was not here and this once again dispelled rumours that he (Dawood) lives in or visits Dubai,” the source said.
The security at the Grand Hyatt Hotel was air-tight; hotel staff were tight lipped and the Baniyas Ballroom, where the 12-course dinner was served, was a no-go area. The security personnel on duty kept journalists and photographers at a distance.
The waiting media personnel could only get a glimpse of the arriving guests, most of them unknown faces, except the father of the groom, the mother of the bride and a couple of cricketers from the Javed Miandad era. It was reported that guests arriving from overseas, some of them VIPs, had been lodged at the hotel before the event.
According to unconfirmed reports, outsiders had replaced regular hotel employees to maintain complete secrecy.
There was nothing left for the media to report except the attire of guests and the decor of the premises.
“Each table for eight in the ballroom had a large candle-stand with four candles each, setting the stage for a grand candle-lit dinner.
“And the bases of the candle-stands were covered with pink roses and white tulips... The centre-stage for the bride and the groom was draped in white, with the approach to the stage decorated with pink roses and orchids. A green sofa for two was placed on the stage... The spread for the guests included 12 dishes for the main course, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, besides five kinds of salad, and papad. For dessert, there was a wide choice including jalebis...” reported the local daily, Khaleej Times.
Reuters adds: Indian papers had said some guests, including prominent Indian cricketers and the chief of a hardline Hindu group, were unlikely to attend because of prying Indian and US security agents.
“I’m very happy to get this chance to come,” said Chaudhry Zubeir, a Pakistani resident of Dubai who displayed his wedding invitation to Retuers on his way in.
“I’m not scared because the wedding is between two people, it’s not about the families,” he added. “Miandad is a Pakistani cricket player and a good person.”
“I just came for the thrill,” said Babu Raj, an Indian resident of the city, watching the guests at a distance, “I thought some famous film stars would be here.”
Junaid met Mahrukh in London, where he is studying.
