ISLAMABAD: The Minhaj Welfare Foundation on Saturday organized a grand wedding ceremony for 18 deserving brides, providing each couple with a dowry worth Rs. 500,000.
Hundreds of guests, including prominent political and social figures, attended the event.
The ceremony, held at a local banquet hall here was a stunning affair. The hall and its surroundings were beautifully decorated, and the arriving baraats (wedding processions) were warmly welcomed. Minhaj Youth League and Mustafawi Students Movement volunteers showered the grooms with flower petals, while Minhaj Women League office-bearers did the same for the brides. Each couple received a dowry package containing essential household items.
Addressing the gathering, Khuram Nawaz Gandapur, the Secretary General Minhaj-ul-Quran International, pointed out that the marriage, a sacred obligation in our society, had become a burden for parents due to poverty. He highlighted the efforts of the Minhaj Welfare Foundation in organizing mass weddings in various cities across Pakistan, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujjar Khan, Wah Cantt, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Khanewal, Sheikhupura, Dera Ismail Khan and many others. “The foundation’s primary goal is to assist brides whose parents cannot afford dowries,” he said.
Gandapur stated that thousands of families had benefited from these initiatives. The foundation is committed to ensuring that no father considers his daughter a burden.”
Rafiq Najm, Deputy Nazim of the Tehreek Minhaj-ul-Quran emphasized the importance of pooling resources to help the needy, citing the Islamic concept of brotherhood. He asserted that poverty and Islam could not coexist. “The Islamic system of brotherhood guarantees the eradication of poverty,” he said.
Engineer Sanaullah and Ishtiaq Hanif Mughal, Directors of the Minhaj Welfare Foundation Pakistan, informed the attendees about various ongoing welfare projects, including the construction of houses for flood victims, providing clean water in Thar, mobile medical camps, educational scholarships for poor intelligent children, monthly financial assistance for widows, food distribution, and subsidized meals. They expressed their gratitude to all donors for the generous support.
Prominent social figures, including Justice (Retd.) Saghir Ahmad Qadri, Presidential Award-winning Central President of the All Pakistan Newspaper Vendors Union, Tika Khan, Central President of the PFUJ (Workers) Dr. Sadia Kamal, Country Head of Muslim Hands Syed Javed Gillani, Deputy Nazim of Minhaj-ul-Quran International Ahmad Nawaz Anjum, President of the Tehreek Rawalpindi Division Colonel (Retd.) Khalid Javed, President of the Islamabad High Court Bar Riayat Ali Qadri, social activist Fakhr Zaman Adil and renowned educationist Sadia Hussain, were among the distinguished guests who attended the event. At the end of the ceremony, the office-bearers of the Minhaj Women League Rawalpindi and Islamabad bid farewell to the brides with heartfelt blessings. On this occasion, the parents of the couples expressed their gratitude to Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri and his workers for helping them fulfill this noble duty.
