TAXILA: As many as seven couples tied the knot as per their religious rituals at a mass marriage ceremony organised by Minhaj Welfare Foundation (MWF) at a marriage hall in Taxila on Sunday.

Besides office-bearers of the foundation, administration officials, workers from political and welfare associations, relatives of the couples and members of civil society participated in the ceremony. According to the organisers, so far 96 couples have gotten married at ceremonies organised by the foundation and this was the eighth event.

During the ceremony, every bride was gifted household items worth over Rs150,000, including a copy of the Quran, a prayer mat, cupboard, bed, chairs, table, briefcase, sewing machine, washing machine, fan, iron, clock, utensils, dinner set, tea set, mattress and cosmetics.

Chief guest at the event, MWF Director Syed Amjad Ali Shah said considering the current situation with a hike in the cost of living, it is difficult for parents to marry off their daughters. In these dire circumstances, the foundation has started a grand project of collective marriages. Most people facing financial challenges, he said, are unable to marry their daughters because of the demand of a heavy dowry.

He said the concept of holding mass wedding ceremonies was to support the poor segment of society financially and ensure timely marriages of their daughters in a respectable way.

“The holding of mass wedding ceremony in the era of materialism is not less than a miracle for the poor segment of the society,” Mr Shah said, adding conducting these ceremonies is a good omen as it provides solace to the destitute.

Islam teaches that service to humanity is the greatest form of worship and urges people to share the joys and grief of their fellow human beings, he said, adding the foundation is working for the betterment of people in sectors of education, health and general welfare.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2020