MEDIA GALLERY
Weddings losing their sparkle?
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Pakistan's traditionally lavish weddings have lost their sparkle this matrimonial season, thanks to rising prices of gold and festive essentials in a limping economy overshadowed by Taliban attacks. The colourful celebrations normally span three to five days and attract 500 to 1,000 guests, pushing the cost for the hard-hit lower middle class to between 300,000 and one million rupees (3,600-12,000 USD).–AFP
'It has become too expensive. Everything is expensive. Even a simple wedding could break the back of poor people like me,' said Mohammad Aslam, 62, a retired government employee. Aslam spent most of his pension on marrying off his elder daughter, forcing him to borrow 200,000 rupees to help fund his second daughter's wedding.