RAWALPINDI, April 4: As many as 52 couples tied the knot at the first mass marriage ceremony in the city. About 200 applications had been received out of which 52 couples were selected through balloting. Another mass marriage ceremony will be held here in June.

All of the 52 couple were facing financial difficulties in getting married. The applications had been vetted by the students of Fatima Jinnah University and Barani Agriculture University to certify that only the deserving benefit from this scheme.

The brides were provided dowry worth Rs50,000 in addition to other gifts by philanthropists and senior government officials. The Mehr (alimony) for different couples has been fixed from Rs10,000 to Rs50,000. The transport for the couple had been provided by the district government.

The mass marriages were started in the major cities of the province on the initiative of Punjab Governor Lt-Gen (retired) Khalid Maqbool, who was chief guest on this occasion along with the Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro.