32 couples tie knot at a mass marriage ceremony under MWF

On March 14, 2010, Minhaj Welfare Foundation arranged a mass marriage ceremony of 32 couples in Township, Lahore. The ceremony was held in the vast ground of Minhaj University where beautiful arrangements were made including the decoration of the venue.

Sahibzada Faiz-ur-Rehman Durrani, central Amir of MQI, presided over the programme, whereas Shahid Hamid, former Governor of Punjab, was the guest of honour on the occasion. The distinguished guests who also participated in the ceremony included Dr. Abid Aziz (President of Minhaj European Union), Mrs. Belum Hasnain; member of National Assembly, Chaudhry Nasir Ahmad Bhutta; MNA, Aleena Tiwana; MPA, Ijaz Ahmad; MPA, Amina Butter, Aziz Tiwana, Samina Khawar Hayat; MPA, film director Sangeeta Begum, actor Saima Akhtar, Brig. (r ) Farooq Ahmad, Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi; Secretary General of MQI, Sheikh Zahid Fayyaz, Mrs Fatima Mash`hadi; president of Minhaj Women League and Sumaira Rafaqat Advocate, secretary General of Minhaj Women League.

Furthermore, Dr Shahid Mahmood; director of Minhaj Welfare Foundation, Ahmad Nawaz Anjum, Muhammad Aqil Malik, Jawad Hamid, Iftikhar Shah Bokhari, Dr Muhammad Saleem Awan, Mian Iftikhar, Shahmeem Numberdar, Sajid Hamid and other leaders and representatives of different welfare organizations were also present on the occasion.

The marriage processions started pouring in at 10:30 am which continued up to 1 pm. Every procession was given a red-carpet welcome upon its arrival while the army band continued beating drums. The central leaders of Minhaj Women League welcomed the brides and their relatives. The leaders of MQI would shower rose petals on the male guests and grooms when they arrived to the main venue.

The religious scholars of Minhaj-ul-Quran Ulama Council solemnized the Nikah of every couple separately. Two Christian couples were also among the brides and grooms whose marriage took place in accordance with their religious rites. Amir-e-Tehreek Sahibzada Faiz-ur-Rehman Durrani led the final Dua.

The arrangements made for this mass marriage ceremony by Minhaj Welfare Foundation were no less than those made for individual marriages. Every bride was presented a dowry of worth Rs 1, 25, 000 besides gold set and a costly watch for the groom. On one side of the venue was placed the dowry bearing the name of every couple respectively. Arrangements for marriage feast were also made for 2000 guests.

Addressing on the occasion, Dr Shahid Mahmood, director of Minhaj Welfare Foundation, said that rampant poverty and outdated social traditions had made it impossible for the poor parents to marry off their daughters. It is under these circumstances that Minhaj Welfare Foundation started a serious of mass marriage ceremony under the patronage of Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. The present marriage of 32 couples is one of such programmes. It has so far arranged the marriages of around 300 daughters and borne all expenditures in that regard. He declared on the occasion that in 2011, arrangements for the marriage of 63 couples would be made in the holy month of Raib-ul-Awal. In the end, he thanked all the guests for their participation in the programme.

Faiz-ur-Rehman Durrani and Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi also spoke on the occasion. They said that Minhaj Welfare Foundation is the representative of the poor and downtrodden sections of society, which is making efforts to bring about a change in the lives of people at social levels. It is endeavouring to realize the dream of Pakistan being a welfare state where the interests of the poor would also be protected at the state level. They also paid glowing tribute to the donors who donate open-heartedly every year for such ventures. They said that such ceremonies continue to be held under the banner of Minhaj Welfare Foundation throughout the year.

The mass marriage ceremony came to an end after 32 newly wedded couples were seen off under the protective shadow of the Holy Quran. It was an environment marked by jubilation on the one hand and shedding of tears on the other.