Admin stays indifferent to breach of law at high-profile wedding event.

Byline: Saleem Mubarak

FAISALABAD -- The district administration allegedly remained silent on the 'blatant violation' of one-dish policy owing to the presence of Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar at the wedding ceremony of former deputy mayor Sheikh Muhammad Yousaf's son on Sunday night.

Nobody is allowed to extend the marriage functions beyond 10pm, however, this function continued after 10 o'clock.

Senior police officers and politicians were also among the guests.

About one dozen dishes were served to the guests even in the presence of the governor who also enjoyed the feast in the company of some parliamentarians.

However, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali claimed that the governor had left the event at 10pm.

On Sunday, City Assistant Commissioner Zoha Shakir had got registered cases against marriage hall owners in Madina Town, People's Colony, Sargodha Road and Mansoorabad areas on charges of violation of Marriage Functions Act. She also got arrested the hall managers and mentioned in the FIRs that hall owners managed to escape from the spot.

Besides, dozens of other cases have also been registered off and on against the marriage hall owners only to ensure writ of the government and implementation of the rules and regulations in letter and spirit.

However, in the case of walima reception of Sheikh Yousaf's son not a single official dared to visit the venue like they had been doing, to arrest the organisers who were violating the marriage act with impunity.

The FIR (1596) registered with the Saddar police on the complaint of AC Saddar was silent that when the event was organised. It is also silent that the violation had been committed in the presence of the notables.

A police official said nobody had contacted the police for raid to stop the illegal act being committed even in the presence of some influential persons. He said it was duty of the district administration to seek the [police] assistance as the police could not move on this violation on its own.

He said: 'We have been booking the marriage hall owners on the applications of the district administration.'

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