Khawaja Muhammad Tariq, the association’s general secretary, said that the members of the association across the country held an online meeting and decided to hold a peaceful protest on July 13.
“We will be protesting outside press clubs of each city, if we are not allowed to do our business. When all gathering-based businesses had been allowed to operate in the country such as shopping malls, inter- and intra-city transport in all forms, airline industry, Nadra mega centres, cattle market and places of worship, then why marriage halls/ banquets could not be allowed to operate with standard operating procedures.”
He said that the federal and provincial governments have failed to realise the impact of their decision on the economy as almost 50 per cent of the total industry in the country was associated with marriage halls industry. Tariq was of the view that due to closure of marriage halls, almost more than one million people directly or indirectly associated with allied industries had become jobless only in Karachi.
The government was asked to announce a date for opening of marriage halls “or else under such immense financial and social pressures we have no choice but to open marriage halls as per our announced date”, he added.