ISLAMABAD: The Minhaj Welfare Foundation on Saturday organised a grand wedding ceremony for 18 deserving brides, providing each couple with a dowry worth Rs500,000, containing essential household items.

Hundreds of guests, including prominent political and social figures, attended the the ceremony held at a local marriage hall.

Addressing the gathering, the Minhajul-Quran International Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur pointed out that the marriage, a sacred obligation in our society, had become a burdenfor parents due to poverty.

He highlighted the efforts of the Minhaj Welfare Foundation in organising mass weddings in various cities acrossPakistan, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujjar Khan, Wah Cantt, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Khanewal, Sheikhupura, Dera Ismail Khan and many others.

`The foundation`s pri-mary 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 ensuringthat no father considers his daughter a burden, he said.

Directors of the Minhaj Welfare Foundation Pakistan informed the audience about various ongoing welfare projects, including the constructionof 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 subsidised meals.