20 poor couples tie the knot in collective weddings in Mardan

PESHAWAR: The collective weddings of 20 poor couples were celebrated at an event in Katlang tehsil in Mardan district.

This was the fourth such event held annually with donations by philanthropists.

The couples belonged to almost every village in Katlang tehsil along with a few from other parts of Mardan. They were chosen out of 83 applicants who had sought the help of the organizers for arranging their weddings as they were too poor to afford the cost of the marriages.

Local religious scholar Maulana Hazrat Ali, former lawmaker Rahim Khan Bacha, educationist Taj Malook and senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai spoke on the occasion, highlighted the significance of nikah, and congratulated the couples on starting a new life.

The event was organized by the Shama Welfare Organization headed by Zamin Nawab and Mudassir Khan.

The donations given by industrialist Mohsin Aziz and social worker Nazim Shehzad from Peshawar, philanthropist Haji Masood from Karachi and Rahimullah Yusufzai were used to buy dowry for the brides and gifts for the bridegrooms. For the first time this year, five local donors including PTI MPA Malik Shaukat, Bacha Hussain, Taj Malook, Haji Iftikhar and Hayat Khan also bought gifts for the couples. Food was also served to the families and relatives of the couples and local elders.