‘Dressed like dulhan’: Maryam Nawaz’s look for son’s second marriage triggers debate on Pakistani internet

Maryam Nawaz sparked a discussion on social media. While some praised her appearance, others accused her of stealing the bride’s thunder.

Junaid Safdar, son of Pakistani leader Maryam Nawaz, tied the knot with Shanzeh Ali in a grand wedding ceremony held in Lahore. Junaid is the grandson of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while the bride is the granddaughter of Rohail Asghar, a longtime ally of the Sharif family. This is Junaid's second marriage — he had earlier been married to Ayesha Saif Khan.

Junaid Safdar tied the knot with Shanzeh Ali in a grand wedding ceremony held in Lahore. (X/@_stkhan, @ShahzadShafi007)

While the lavish celebrations quickly went viral, it was the fashion choices at the wedding that sparked a discussion on Pakistani social media, with attention divided between the bride’s Indian designer outfits and Maryam Nawaz’s own striking looks.

Maryam Nawaz's wedding looks

Even before attention turned to the bride, Maryam Nawaz emerged as a major talking point online. For her son’s mehendi ceremony, the Punjab CM opted for a yellow and powder-orange lehenga, followed by a traditional mint green outfit for the wedding.

As pictures from the celebrations went viral, social media users were divided. While some praised her appearance, others accused her of stealing the bride’s thunder.

“Maryam Nawaz and her never-ending obsession to dress up/act as a bride,” one user wrote.

“Maryam Nawaz looks more beautiful than the bride,” commented another.

Several users were more critical. “She did it to the first bahu and now she’s doing it again. Self-obsessed, pathetic log,” read one comment on Reddit.

“That’s the thing. The most important person in a wedding is the bride. Absolutely no one should wear better clothes than the bride,” another user said.

“So why she dressed like a dulhan?” asked a commenter.

However, one user praised her appearance, saying, “Every mother has the right to look most Beautiful at the wedding of her son.”

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Internet reacts to bride’s Indian designer outfits

The bride, Shanzeh Ali, also found herself at the centre of an online debate for her fashion choices. For her mehendi ceremony, she wore a lehenga by Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. For the main wedding event, the bride chose a heavy red saree by Tarun Tahiliani, paired with a diamond choker featuring a large emerald at the centre.

Her decision to wear Indian designer outfits drew sharp reactions from Pakistani social media users.

“Very mid. I’m sure Pakistani designers could have made her something more Pakistani,” read one Instagram comment.

“Shame on giving taxes to India,” said another.

“What’s this obsession with Indian designers? They drool over our Pakistani clothes and look at this!” a user wrote.

Notably, this is Junaid Safdar’s second marriage. He was earlier married to Ayesha Saif, daughter of former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Saifur Rehman Khan, in 2021. The couple parted ways after two years, with Junaid announcing the divorce in an Instagram post in 2023.