In Pakistan, two elite viral weddings took the internet by storm recently. The Talpurs’ wedding stole the limelight for inviting stars such as Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and Abida Parveen, while Nawaz Sharif’s wedding grabbed attention for its unique dressing and styling, where all the hosts wore stunning outfits, including members of the bride’s and groom’s families. The bride, Shanzay Ali Rohail, wore ensembles by Indian designers Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Tarun Tahiliani on her Mehndi and Barat days. According to a few social media pages’ reports, Ayesha Talpur also wore Indian designer Manish Malhottra on her wedding.
Recently, renowned Pakistani actor Khaled Anam expressed his confusion over elite brides wearing Indian designers despite the ban on trade between the two countries.
Talking about it, he said, “I recently heard that in two royal weddings in Punjab and Sindh, the brides wore outfits by Indian designers. There is no harm in it; in fact, I think trade should be open. However, we recently had a conflict, and there were anti statements from both countries. My question is: is trade now officially open? Maybe they wore one or two outfits—I heard Manish Malhotra’s name as well. We also have excellent designers like Umar Sayeed and Bunto Kazmi. I’m not someone who is interested in designer wear; I prefer simple clothes. But my question is, is it allowed for everyone? Can we buy these clothes, and how were they bought? Were they purchased through online means? We need to know whether the ban has been lifted, or if these embargoes apply only to the common man while trade is allowed for a few selected people. I’m confused.” Watch video here:
Social media users are of the view that all the bans in Pakistan are for common people while elites continue to enjoy the perks. Read a few comments:
