Lahore (Pakistan News online) to ban dance parties at weddings in the province, a resolution presented in Punjab assembly.
According to details, during the debate on the resolution, MPA Uzma Kardar opposed the motion and said “Don’t impose restrictions on our small joys; don’t knows, the woman presenting the resolution attends which marriages, but we oppose the ban on celebrating our children’s weddings in line with Punjab’s culture.”
Speaker of the Punjab Assembly remarked that when the DPO invites a performer like Mehak Malik, it is considered art and culture, but when a poor person does it, it is labeled as vulgarity.
Sami Ullah Khan stated that social vices are typically curtailed by society itself; unfortunately, there is no social pressure group in Pakistan. He suggested redrafting the resolution to align with social and cultural traditions.
The Speaker, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, referred the resolution to a committee for amendments, particularly concerning the mistreatment and dancing of women and transgender individuals at wedding events.
The resolution, introduced by government member Hameeda Mian, in which stated that a society’s festivals and family events, such as weddings, reflect its cultural traditions and religious teachings, in Punjab, it is becoming common to hold and live-stream dance parties at weddings.
These gatherings often feature obscene and indecent performances under the guise of dance, with attendees sometimes intoxicated and engaging in highly inappropriate and inhumane behavior.
The resolution highlighted that mistreatment and humiliation of female dancers and transgender individuals are also common at these events, with incidents of injury and even killings of transgender persons coming to light, which violates human rights and opposes our religious and social traditions.
The Provincial Assembly calls upon the federal and provincial governments to immediately impose strict restrictions on such vulgar gatherings at wedding events, enacting legislation to prevent these incidents. It further recommends amending Section 294 of the Pakistan Penal Code to increase fines and extend prison sentences and to ensure strict legal action against those who mistreat female dancers and transgender individuals.
To deter such heinous incidents, police and other relevant institutions should be required to promptly respond and take disciplinary action in these cases.