Pak Designer's Powerful Pictures Urging People To Eliminate Dowry Menace

New Delhi: UN Women Pakistan shared campaign images from designer Ali Xeeshan's latest bridal couture collection Numaish with an anti-dowry message. Ali Xeeshan is known to have strong messages behind all of his collections but this one really resonated with people.  The collection highlights the age old dowry culture which was made illegal in 2020 in Pakistan.

UN Women Pakistan supports NUMAISH - a pledge against dowry by @ALIXEESHAN.
Share this powerful message and join us to #StopDowryMongering #NumaishNaLagao #JahezkhoriBandKaro@UN_Women @unwomenasia pic.twitter.com/4RCXWpkB9f

— UN Women Pakistan (@unwomen_pak) February 7, 2021

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According to the blog about the collection, Numaish 'draws inspiration from putting an end to dowry culture and is described as being ‘A pledge against the old-age tradition of Dowry!’.' The issue of dowry continues to be a pertinent problem for many segments of Pakistani society today. In the subsequent ramp show, the collection was 'presented in a manner which attempted to educate today’s youth to say no to dowry.'

Netizens had mixed reaction towards the campaign, while some welcome the initiative others feel it is 'hypocritical' as the dresses of the collection are worth millions and it adds to the extravagant wedding market which forces people to spend an exorbitant amount money to get their daughters married. 

Misplaced tweet by @unwomen_pak totally ignoring the fact that designers like @ALIXEESHAN are a huge part of the problem when it comes to weddings. Parents need to save for years before they can afford to buy bridal dresses from such designers and there’s a constant competition.

— Sarwat Ayub (@sashayub) February 8, 2021

Stop expensive and extravagant weddings. Stop bridal dresses worth millions. Stop hypocracy

— Saad A. Shaikh (@SaadShaikh04) February 7, 2021

While some users think the initative has a very powerful message

A very powerful message!
It is about high time that the word dowry gets deleted from our dictionaries & life’s completely. Your wife-to-be & in laws should be treated with dignity & respect as you should always remember what goes around, comes around@MohsinDurrany @CitizenBoard

— HASAN ANSARI (@TheHasanAnsari) February 8, 2021

A lot of ppl missing the msg. Yes designers can charge whatever they want for a bridal dress but the point here is how awful the dowry culture is, any designer no matter what he charges has a right to point this out.

— Sanam (@lettersandtea) February 8, 2021

Dowry Practices in India 

Dowry still common practice in many parts of the world, especially in South Asia and several Middle East and North African countries.  It also results in violence against women, especially when the dowry is inadequate. According to The New Indian Express report, the number of cases filed under the Dowry Prohibition Act witnessed a rise from 690 in 2018 to 739 in 2019. In 2015, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded as many as 7,634 women died in the country due to dowry harassment. This is despite, dowry being prohibited under Indian laws including the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498A.