The House of Sharifs used to keep their weddings a private and family affair. Not anymore. They started a series of ceremonies for the Junaid-Ayesha extravaganza in London in August last.
The London ceremony attracted public attention after clips went viral showing Junaid’s singing performance.
Then a series of ceremonies set in Pakistan – Lahore and Islamabad.
Curtains have been finally drawn on the Junaid-Ayesha wedding celebrations which, what critics and admirers say, were more of a theatrical performance than a wedding. The strange thing is the Sharif household did not shy away from showing off all the wealth they have. Also, the talent of Junaid, Maryam, and Hamza singing old songs with such confidence and skill grabbed social media attention and became the talk of the town.
It is a little difficult to account for all the events that took place during the wedding as there were many. Videos are being leaked now and then, attracting all kinds of comments from friends and foes and Tom, Dick, and Harry. Ladies of the Sharif household were laden with diamonds and gold and adorned heavily embellished dresses made by the likes of Sabyasachi, a world-famous eastern wear designer from the neighbouring country India. Unlike many public figures who tend to be secretive about their personal events, the Sharif family made sure there was a lot of representation in the media, for whatever reason. Compared to Bakhtawar Bhutto’s wedding last year, where the guest list was limited to a certain number of people and no cameras were allowed into the venue, this one (of Junaid-Ayesha) was celebrated with much fanfare and a lot of media attention.
The media also turned all its attention to this certain event, when there was a lot more it could have focused on. Then again, whatever waters the money plant. Maryam Nawaz’s dresses and her obsession with looking more dressed up than the bride was also analysed by many. Some were of the opinion that one must not judge her or this absurdity, while others thought of her as the typical mother-in-law who tries to overpower her daughter-in-law from day one. Maryam Nawaz, however, wore the expensive dresses and jewels with confidence without any fear of retribution. Of course, she can give the trail and path of the money which were spent on her Sabyasachi and Èlan dresses and jewels.
Weddings hold special importance in the subcontinent families. Families plan to hold a successful wedding show for years only to avoid relatives’ comments. Several things are to be taken care of: dresses, jewelry, guests, venues, meals, ambiance, dowry, salami, gifts, etc. Moreover, weddings erupt in winter and everywhere one can see wedding halls, marquees, catering house-operated events, and so on.
At a certain level, every wedding is a show of profligacy, and this comes from the prevailing culture. But such shows from the people who matter at a time when much of the population is suffering and can barely afford a single meal per day shows how insensitive and tone-deaf the (political) elite is. However, life goes on and it is not surprising that the people do not care about the financial, social, and political costs of such an expensive wedding as such things are accepted in our part of the world. The people who support the Sharifs will support them through everything, and those who hate Bhuttos and Imran Khan will continue doing so. This is the problem (or beauty) of the Pakistani population; they see the political elite as gods who must remain many classes higher than the common man. The colonial mindset never left the subcontinent and such people become the new kings and queens.
