HAFIZABAD
For the first time in the history of Hafizabad district, as many as 26 poor and deserving couples tied knot at a mass wedding ceremony held here in the Municipal Stadium sponsored by Uganda-based citizen of Hafizabad Haji Rasheed Ahmad Zargar in collaboration with Abdul Jabbar Raza Ansari, Founder of Anjuman Nowjawanan-e-Hafiabad and social workers - Muhammad Yasin Sandhu and Hamid Raza Khan.
A warm and red carpet welcome was accorded to the marriage parties by the sponsor and citizens on their arrival at the venue of mass wedding. More than 1,500 people from all walks of life including former MNA Ch Mehdi Hassan Bhatti, former Federal Minister Ch Liaqat Abbas Bhatti, former Provincial Minister Ch Shoukat Ali Bhatti, Afzal Butt Dhotto promoter International Rhythm, Pir Syed Mujtaba Al-Farooq Gul Badshah Gaddi Nasheen of Mohrra Sharif, Pir Syed Qaiser Ali Shah of Gujjan Sharif, Punjab Director Social Welfare Malik Muhammad Aslam, PML-N Hafizabad District Chairperson Rehana Khan, political and social workers, lawyer, officers, businessmen and former Nazims and councillors attended the simple but impressive ceremony.
On the occasion, speakers appreciated the role of Oversees Pakistani Association Uganda Chairman Rasheed Ahmad Zargar for arranging the wedding of destitute girls, whose parents could not arranged their marriages due to lack of dowry.
They said that Rasheed Zargar had spent more than Rs3.5 million on the provision of dowry and arranging this historic and noble function. Mr Zargar in his brief address said that he had arranged mass wedding of poor girls only to get the blessings of Almighty Allah and urged well-to-do people to follow the suit. He announced that he would arrange marriages of 50 poor girls next year.
After the Nikkah of the couples Pir Syed Mujtaba Al-Farooq Gul Badshah of Mohrra Sharif offered collective prayers for the happy and successful matrimonial lives of the couples.