Muslim and Christian couples receive Rs200,000 each at a mass ceremony; division set a goal of 450 weddings.
GUJRANWALA: One hundred and ten couples from low-income families were married at a mass ceremony in Gujranwala under the Punjab government’s Dhee Rani programme, with each couple receiving Rs200,000 on behalf of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The 93 Muslim and 17 Christian couples tied the knot at the Executive Marquee in Rahwali, with a cleric and a pastor offering prayers side by side.
Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Minister Sohail Shaukat Butt, who presented the cash gifts, said 5,000 couples would be married across Punjab under the programme this year, with a target of 450 for Gujranwala division.
The programme was launched to relieve poor parents of wedding costs, which often push families into debt. Its steering committee last year raised the annual target from 3,000 to 5,000 couples and replaced gift hampers with a Rs200,000 payment through a Dhee Rani card. By November 2025 the government had held 66 ceremonies and married 4,857 couples.
The current round follows the government’s decision to start the next phase in October.
Butt said the chief minister had shown the state could act like a mother to its daughters. He also pointed to wider social protection, including the Himmat Card for people with disabilities and the provision of artificial limbs and assistive devices.
Muhammad Ali, commissioner of Gujranwala and Gujrat divisions, said the scheme allowed parents to send off their daughters with dignity, and promised to meet the division’s target.
Khateeb Auqaf Hafiz Shahid Farooq recited from the Quran and prayed for the couples, while Pastor Professor Shahzad Lawrence prayed for the Christian couples. Organisers said the joint ceremony reflected interfaith harmony.
Secretary Social Welfare Saira Umar, Director General Social Welfare Dr Shahenshah Faisal Azeem, Deputy Commissioner Naveed Ahmed, MNA Shazia Farid and MPAs Umar Farooq Dar, Waqar Ahmed Cheema and Saima Zahid were among those present.
The ceremony took place in the same district that voted in the NA-77 by-election a week earlier.
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