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| India-Pakistan |
| ‘One-dish’ meal of six items allowed at weddings: Parliament approves bill |
| 2006-08-23 |
| ISLAMABAD, Aug 22: In a rare show of urgency and consensus in one house, both houses of parliament passed a private bill on Tuesday to allow what the draft called ‘one-dish’ — but actually up to six-items — meals at wedding ceremonies. It was the first private members’ bill passed by the present parliament and will become law after a formal, mandatory consent by President Gen Pervez Musharraf. A near unanimity in the National Assembly, where the bill originated, came only a day after chaos rocked the house when the government tabled a controversial bill seeking to protect women from misuse of Islamic Hudood laws and precedes potentially more stormy proceedings after the opposition brings a no-confidence move against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday. Immediately after it was passed, the government took the Marriage Functions (prohibition of ostentatious displays and wasteful expenses (Amendment) Bill to the Senate, which endorsed it without debate when the opposition was boycotting the house to protest on another issue. The bill, authored by two National Assembly members of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) alliance, had been lying on the house agenda since January. But it suddenly won an unexpected support from the treasury benches in early June after the Supreme Court ordered a strict enforcement of the Marriage Functions (prohibition of ostentatious displays and wasteful expenses) Ordinance 2000 that allowed only hot and cold drinks at wedding ceremonies and cancelled a Punjab provincial law that allowed one-dish meals. The original draft, submitted by MMA members from Karachi Mohammad Laeeque Khan and Mohammad Hussain Mehanti had proposed provision for serving an unexplained ‘one dish’ meal in addition to hot and cold drinks. But the house’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs, Zakat and Ushr defined the ‘one dish’ to mean four items: one salan (curry), roti, rice and one sweet dish, which actually comes to a total of six items including hot and cold drinks. The bill was taken up for discussion on August 8 — the first private members’ day of the present session of the National Assembly — when Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain deferred further debate after the main ruling and opposition parties supported the move, but some of their members voiced concern that it would deprive the poor an excuse to escape what had traditionally become compulsory expenses on large meals. During the brief debate on Tuesday, when the bill was taken up again, Raja Pervez Ashraf, secretary-general of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, and Rai Mansab Ali and Mehnaz Rafi of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) supported the move as being in conformity with the local traditions and Islamic injunctions about serving meals at weddings and beneficial for the poultry industry and commercial wedding halls. The sole discordant voice came from PML’s Farooq Amjad Mir who said passing the bill would mean submitting to those who violated the earlier law and wishes of the poultry industry rather than of the common man. The bill was not on the Senate agenda for the day, but immediately after the NA vote, Law and Justice Minister Mohammad Wasi Zafar took it to the upper house |
| Posted by:john |
| #6 "I went to a Hindu wedding (in the US). It was loads of fun." I was in a Hindu wedding (groom) in New Delhi, it was loooooooong (three days, which is short by Indian standards)and baffling! I just did as I was told. |
| Posted by: Analog Roam 2006-08-23 19:21 |
| #5 So the legislative branch just told the judiciary to jump, eh? They like having food w/a celebration. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-08-23 16:20 |
| #4 The islamization of curricula continues. If these kids had been educated in a madrassa, instead of the top english medium private schools and the best university in Pakistan, they could hardly be less intolerant... From a report on the graduating class of Punjab University... "Top scorers in BA/BSc Annual Examination 2006 slammed Punjab University’s (PU) decision to hire the National Testing Service (NTS) for entry tests. They were dissatisfied with Pakistan’s political system and demanded that Islamic law be implemented in the country. Shahzadul Haq, who stood first in BA, condemned dictatorship and said a democratic government ‘based on Islamic values’ was inevitable for Pakistan’s development. Saba Arooj, who stood second in BA, said she did not support secularism. Pakistan should have Islamic law, she said, because the country was made in the name of Islam. Mehwish Rashid, who secured the third position in BA slammed the entry test system and said it should be abolished. She called for the implementation of Islamic law in the country. Ayesha Zahid, who stood first in BSc, also demanded the implementation of Islamic law. She said she would take the PU vice chancellor’s offer of free education, and would become a physicist after a PhD in physics. Saleha Qayyum (third position in BSc) said she had proved that it was possible to score well without taking tuition. She demanded fundamental changes in the examination system. She said she had no interest in politics but wanted to spend her life in line with the teachings of Islam. Saleha said she wanted to be a mathematician in future." |
| Posted by: john 2006-08-23 16:03 |
| #3 I went to a Hindu wedding (in the US). It was loads of fun. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-08-23 15:53 |
| #2 Whew! That's a relief. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-08-23 15:38 |
| #1 Some context for the above report Pakistan's Supreme Court has upheld a ban on serving food at wedding receptions held in public places. The court ruled the ban was not against Islamic teachings and should remain in force as it discourages extravagant displays of wealth. The ban on serving food at wedding functions held in public places was imposed by the government in 1997. The Supreme Court also described the practice of giving dowry by the bride's family as an evil and exploitative custom, and said the state should do everything to stop it. The court bench then went a step further to criticise some of the most popular customs linked to South Asian weddings, including the colourful rituals of mayun and mehndi (where the bride is decorated and prepared for the wedding) and baraat (a procession by the groom's friends and family to the bride's house), which are dominated by dance and music. The bench said these customs and even the giving of large dowries were all of Hindu origin and have nothing to do with the Islamic concept of marriage. Describing them as social evils, the court said the state should take steps to eradicate them. |
| Posted by: john 2006-08-23 15:01 |