- Advertisement -
PESHAWAR, Feb 14 (APP):For the first time, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has launched a state-sponsored mass wedding initiative to support underprivileged and orphaned couples.
The first official ceremony was held here on Friday, wherein 30 couples tied the knot. The provincial government covered all wedding expenses and provided each bride with a financial grant of PKR 200,000.
The event was organized by the Department of Zakat and Ushr in collaboration with the Peshawar district administration.
Several dignitaries, including provincial ministers, special assistants, members of the provincial assembly, the Director of Social Welfare, the Chairman of the Provincial Zakat Council, Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Sarmad Saleem Akram, and district Zakat chairpersons, attended the ceremony.
A special message from KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur was also played for the newlywed couples.
The government arranged pick-and-drop services for the couples, along with a grand wedding feast.
The event also featured Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s traditional dance Attarn, and gifts were distributed among the couples by the local administration and the Zakat department.
Speaking at the ceremony, the chief guest, Minister for Social Welfare and Zakat and Ushr Syed Qasim Ali Shah, stated that this was just the beginning, and similar mass wedding events would be held at the divisional level across the province.
The provincial minister congratulated the newlyweds and wished them prosperity, assuring them of continued government support. He personally distributed financial grants and gifts among the couples.
Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah emphasized that, the provincial government has planned to facilitate over 4,000 mass weddings across the province, with the first phase inaugurated here.