As many as 62 Hindu couples tied the knot at a mass wedding held at the YMCA, Karachi, late on Sunday.
Punjab Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Khalil Tahir Sandhu participated in the ceremony as chief guest and announced a financial grant of Rs 1 million for the Pakistan Hindu Council from the government of Punjab.
The minister said that we should promote the culture of mass weddings so that poor parents can more easily perform their duty. He also stressed upon the need for philanthropists to support such social activities whole heartedly.
People from various castes and ethnicities gathered at the ceremony. Most of the families there had been unable to afford separate weddings. As a result, they had approached the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) to include their children as part of the mass wedding ceremony held annually.
The patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, MNA Ramesh Kumar Vankwani announced that each bride would be given Rs 100,000 and deserving people would be provided with 22 motorcycle rikshaws by Pakistan Hindu Council, enabling them to earn their living.
Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair, Pakistan Baitulmaal Managing Director Abid Waheed Sheikh, political and religious leaders, minority representatives, and other members of civil society were also present on the occasion.
