Lahore, Jan 21 (PTI) Pakistan's Punjab government on Wednesday rejected criticism over "lavish spending" at the wedding of the ruling Sharif family's scion Junaid Safdar, saying everyone spends money on such occasions depending on their financial condition.
Junaid's second marriage to a ruling PML-N leader's granddaughter, Shanzeh Ali, was held last week at the palatial Jati Umra Raiwind, Lahore - the residence of the Sharif family - and came under severe criticism on social media for being a "royal wedding."
Chief of Defence Forces Field Martial Asim Munir also attended the event. His viral pictures, especially with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, went viral.
In one picture, Munir is standing, and a PML-N minister can be seen requesting Nawaz to stand up as a mark of respect for the general, but he seems reluctant.
Maryam Nawaz came under scathing criticism for donning expensive foreign outfits and offering dozens of dishes in the face of her own Punjab government's ban on more than one dish at weddings.
Responding to critics, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said that the Sharif family, especially Maryam, was subjected to "undue criticism".
"The people claim that Maryam's choice of outfits at her son's wedding drew attention away from the bride. It happened because Maryam is naturally very beautiful, and whenever she appears in public, people are naturally drawn to her," Bukhari said.
"Allah has made her beautiful... Some women are extremely beautiful, like Maryam, some are like me, and some do not look beautiful even after using filters," she said.
She also targeted jailed former prime minister Imran Khan for donning a 'sherwani' at his second marriage in 2015 with Reham Khan. "Why was there no criticism then?" she asked.
The minister said there should not be any question about who spent what on weddings. "Everyone spends on a wedding according to one's financial condition," she said, while clarifying on lavish spending in Junaid's wedding.
Journalist Mujeebur Rehman said that objections to the extravagance of the wedding of Maryam's son are justified.
"The issue is not the wedding — the issue is power. Those who run the state, collect taxes from the public, and make national decisions are not ordinary citizens. Their lifestyle becomes a public matter. That is why, across the world, rulers are questioned: Where did this money come from? How was this level of spending possible?" he asked.
He said when a public figure like Maryam herself states that she has no business or property - neither in London nor in Pakistan - then from which account do such billions of rupees celebrations emerge?
"In a country like Pakistan, the king-like weddings of ruling families are not just celebrations — they become salt rubbed into the wounds of the public," he added.