Pakistan Army helps 45 couples tie the knot

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Army has helped 45 poor couples get married at a ceremony held in the restive Swat valley.

I have no words to express my joy, said an elated Mahboob Ali, who is one of the 45 bridegrooms to marry at the mass wedding ceremony Sunday amid traditional music and exchange of gifts.

I was sad because I could not bear the expenses of a wedding ceremony as my financial status is very weak. But then the army selected me on merit and provided this opportunity which has gotten me very excited, Ali told The Express Tribune.

The army along with an NGO Labaik Foundation organised the mass wedding ceremony.

The media report said that heavy expenditure in marriages has become a social bane of the country and prevents millions of marriageable daughters of poor parents from getting married.

Seraj, a member of Labaik Foundation, said the area had suffered badly during the militancy and floods, leaving a majority of the poor without any source of income.

We identified different issues facing the affected people, one of which was arranging the marriages of their eligible wards. So we decided to conduct collective weddings in which the poor are supported and helped.