KARACHI: The marriage halls association on Sunday announced that it would hold a countrywide protest on 13th of July against closure of their businesses.

The association general secretary, Khawaja Muhammad Tariq, said they that held an online meeting of representatives across the country and decided to hold a peaceful protest on July 13. “We will be protesting outside press clubs of each city, if we are not allowed to do our business,” he added.

The general secretary said that now when all gathering-based businesses had been allowed to operate in the country such as shopping malls, inter- and intra-city transport in all forms, airline industry, Nadra mega centres, cattle market and places of worship, then why marriage halls/ banquets could not be allowed to operate with standard operating procedures.

“Unfortunately, federal and provincial governments have failed to realise it’s impact on the economy as almost 50 per cent of the total industry in the country is associated with marriage halls industry,” he said.

Mr Tariq was of the view that due to closure of marriage halls, almost more than one million people directly or indirectly associated with allied industries had become jobless in the Karachi.

The government was asked to announce a date for opening of marriage halls “or else under such immense financial and social pressures we have no choice but to open marriage halls as per our announced date”, he added.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2020