Friday, November 27, 2020
Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, Mahmood Choudhry 'officially engaged' at Bilawal House Karachi
Held in the open area of Bilawal House Karachi, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari's engagement ceremony was without the presence of her brother and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto, who is quarantined after testing positive for the COVID-19.
Both Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and her fiancé, Mahmood Choudhry, wore traditional oriental attires.
Bilawal virtually attended his sister's engagement ceremony as he was in quarantine. Bakhtawar's sister, Aseefa, introduced the PPP boss to the guests via video call.
Bilawal thanked the guests individually through the video call, while Asif Zardari continued meeting guests and receive congratulations from them at the event.
According to sources, at least 100-150 guests attended Bakhtawar's engagement ceremony, with Zardari also in attendance.
The former president reached the venue from the hospitals after his doctors gave the go-ahead. He reached the venue from the hospitals after his doctors gave the go-ahead.
Geo News reported citing sources that there were more than a dozen family members of Mahmood Choudhry at the event, with some Pakistani business magnates among the more than 100 guests as well.
Guests and traditional food
Sources said the late Benazir Bhutto's sister and Bakhtawar's aunt, Sanam Bhutto, Zardari's sister Faryal Talpur, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, and Omni Group Chief Executive Anwar Majeed and his son, A.G. Majeed, were at the event
Also among the guests were business tycoon Riaz Laljee, former adviser to the prime minister and chief of the Ziauddin Group of Hospitals, Dr Asim Hussain, and former law minister and Zardari's legal counsel, Farooq H. Naek, the sources added.
Foreign guests, who had arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were also in attendance, the sources said.
Guests were treated to Pakistani and English food, such as koftay [meatballs], biryani, chicken broast, and fish, the sources said, adding that special meals were prepared for kids.
'Very sentimental & emotional day'
Bakhtawar had earlier today thanked people for their "love & prayers", saying she would "be able to celebrate in a post-Covid world".
"Very sentimental & emotional day," she had said on Twitter. "So grateful for everyone’s love & prayers. Especially our PPP family who, I know, are eager to participate."
However, Bakhtawar's father only attended the engagement ceremony for a short duration due to his health condition, sources had revealed a day prior. Zardari had to be shifted to a private hospital in Karachi on November 22 after he fell ill once again.
Bilawal skips event after contracting COVID-19
A few days ago, Bakhtawar had clarified that the videos and clips shared on the Internet purportedly from her engagement celebrations were "not my videos nor have anything to do with me".
The former president's daughter was upset at social media users for recklessly sharing videos without any verifying them first.
Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari's fiance-to-be, Mahmood Choudhry, reportedly arrived in Karachi on Thursday alongside his family, Geo News had reported citing sources.
A group of employees of the Bilawal House Karachi were selected to entertain Choudhry's family, the sources had said. They also mentioned that samples of the staffers and the security personnel were taken for their coronavirus tests after an aide of the PPP chairperson contracted COVID-19.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/750143-bakhtawar-bhutto-zardari-ppp-mahmood-chaudhry-get-engaged-at-bilawal-house-karachi