Policing the wedding

Published December 10, 2009

In this country, weddings are perhaps one of the few occasions in a lifetime when families can gather, entertain, and celebrate en masse. Still, KESC and government officials as well as the police force are hailing the recent decision taken by the Sindh government to ban marriage functions from continuing after midnight at marriage halls, lawns, and hotels. The logic is that a cut-off time for wedding functions helps conserve electricity and prevent night-time robberies and terrorist activity.

If one is to believe the ‘experts,’ it would seem the humble wedding’s energy output rivals that of a small African republic, and its security requirements are more complicated than a US president’s. The official establishment may be feeling congratulatory, but what the ban reflects, rather alarmingly, is the province’s willingness to catapult its elected responsibility to ensure continued electricity supply and security on an already weary populous.

As a result, ‘Cinderella shaadis’ are taking place all over the city, finishing at midnight. Still, it seems utterly bizarre that the wedding has been singled out when the KESC recently announced scheduled city-wide load-shedding measures under what has been termed ‘preventative maintenance.’ Apparently, the work will continue until mid-February.

But let’s be honest, with the city’s energy track record, any semblance of normality can hardly be expected. While energy conservation is important, energy should be available to the tax and tariff paying public at any time. According to KESC, due to ‘poor quality infrastructure,’ about the 30 per cent of electric power is lost during transmission. Why hasn’t the provincial government ensured tangible investments in improving the energy distribution network? It seems yet another panel will be convened with ministers barking in stentorian tones, tabling resolutions without the mindset to correct the crippling situation at hand.  Oh, not to worry though, late-night weddings have been banned, and that should alleviate the national energy problem.

Let’s also consider the security argument. While the argument about street criminals stealing jewellery after midnight is concrete, what’s to say the most hardened robber won’t find a method to steal during an earlier time in the evening? As for the terrorist, it remains to be seen if the suicide jihadist is keen to unfetter his bloody limbs over a nikah or valima ceremony (a mehndi is a more likely target; the Hindu-derived rasms and choreographed dances to Bollywood ditties by gharara-clad girls is cause enough to drive one to ecstacy…I mean heaven).

If the provincial government has the security concerns of the citizen in mind, shouldn’t the ban be extended to closing restaurants, crowded theatres, and cinema halls that currently remain open after 12:00 pm? The truth is, we're not yet ready to surrender our lifestyles to the ever-present threat of security breaches.

With this in mind, wouldn’t it make more sense to increase police guards in open, public spaces such as markets and bazaars? The abysmal and real reason for clamping down on weddings rather than boosting security is that Karachi’s police force numbers at a low 20,000 for a population of almost 18 million inhabitants. That’s one policeman to every 900 inhabitants. Delhi has nearly double the police force of Karachi’s at 57,500 for a roughly similar population, while London, one of the least dangerous capitals in the world, has a third more police at 33,000 for a population half the size of Karachi’s.

It seems, then, that Karachi’s police force isn’t equipped to fight crime and guarantee the security of its inhabitants at any time, pre- or post-midnight. So, once again, why isn’t the provincial government helping the police force to increase its numbers, rather than simply asking the meagre force that is available to police weddings?

Through a veneer of civic altruism, Karachiites are being directed to restrict their events when it’s obvious that the provincial government is failing in its responsibility to provide energy and security to the public. But the government has to be seen to be doing something, and once again, the wedding, which has historically born the brunt of ill-thought out decisions in the past decade, has fallen victim to another flawed decision-making process.

What next? Is only costume jewellery to be worn at weddings and money gifts in denominations of Rs. 1,000 notes to be distributed in order to stop robberies and foil Al Qaeda plots? No excess ghee in shahi kormas to prevent heart disease? And no fairy lights extending beyond three metres to discourage ostentatious displays of wealth? Welcome to an Iron Curtain dystopia. Oh, and, shaadi mubarak.

khuroum80
Khuroum Ali Bukhari is a Karachi-based freelance journalist.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

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