KARACHI: The government in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has approved its largest mass marriage program for 3,000 underprivileged girls, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported this week. 

Marriages are often a costly and extravagant affair in Pakistan, placing a significant financial burden on families, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds. The traditional South Asian wedding festivities include costly ceremonies, lavish food, and ornate decorations. 

This financial burden has taken a toll on many Pakistanis as the country suffers a prolonged economic crisis characterized by soaring inflation and inflated power bills. As per local customs, the bride’s male relatives are also often expected to pay dowry to the groom’s family, with the costly condition often delaying marriages in the country. 

“The Punjab Cabinet has approved the province’s largest historical mass marriage program,” Radio Pakistan said on Tuesday. “During the meeting, the cabinet approved a project to arrange mass marriages for 3,000 underprivileged girls across Punjab.”

Under the mass marriage program, each bride will receive around $350 cash (Rs100,000) along with furniture, clothing, dinner sets and 13 essential household items, the state broadcaster said. 

Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif also directed authorities to prepare a plan for the expansion of the mass marriage program. However, government officials have not yet relayed details about the process through which girls will be deemed eligible for the program.

Mass marriages for low-income communities have been held previously in Pakistan. The practice enables often more than 100 couples to marry in a single ceremony, significantly reducing costs. They are held regularly across Pakistan, supported by government initiatives, philanthropic efforts, and community programs. 

Earlier in January, 122 Hindu couples were married in a mass ceremony hosted by the Pakistan Hindu Council in the country’s southern port city of Karachi.