Two newly-wed brothers, Nauman and Sufyan, who were taken into custody for letting off fireworks during their joint wedding ceremony, have been released on bail after the report of Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) on Wednesday.
According to BDS report, no lethal explosive material was used in fireworks due to which the both the brothers were granted bail.
It is a longstanding, though dangerous, custom at Pakistani weddings to set off fireworks and fire weapons in the air in celebration, but police in Karachi said this time the happy couples went too far.
Police officer Abbas Golarchi, who booked the grooms along with three other people, told AFP on Tuesday they were charged under the explosives provisions of anti-terrorism legislation.
“Very powerful crackers were used during the marriage ceremony creating fear among the neighborhood, a densely populated area of the city,” Abbas Golarchi said.
Golarchi said the charges were non-bailable and the five arrested were in police custody awaiting a remand hearing expected on Wednesday.
If found guilty, they could have faced long prison sentences or even the death sentence, though this is unlikely as no-one was harmed during the joint wedding celebrations.
Rights campaigners say Pakistan’s anti-terrorism legislation and anti-terrorism courts are frequently misused to prosecute cases that have nothing to do with militancy. More generally, Pakistani police are often criticized for their heavy-handed approach. In April last year, police in the eastern city of Lahore booked a nine-month-old boy on an attempted murder charge after his family members allegedly threw bricks at officers trying to collect an unpaid bill.
