A couple from the district of Faisalabad in Pakistan poisoned themselves and died after the woman was placed in an arranged marriage to someone else.
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The couple, only identified as Muqaddas and Adnan, were found after poisoning themselves and were rushed to a nearby hospital on Sunday. Authorities said the incident took place as Muqaddas’ family was preparing for her wedding as the groom and his family were expected to arrive in her town. Before their deaths, Muqaddas and Adnan fell in love with each other and hoped to get married but Muqaddas’ parents disapproved of the relationship.
Arranged marriages are common in the country but due to changes in modern society, young couples want to be able to choose who they want to marry.
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According to VICE, a 2019 Gallup Pakistan survey revealed only 5 percent of citizens have married for love while 95 percent met their spouses through arranged marriages. In 2016, a similar case occurred when a couple injected poison after their marriage was rejected by their parents and another couple jumped in front of a moving train in 2017.
Psychiatrist Abdul Wahab Yousafzai said to the outlet that marriage in the country can pose as its own risk for mental health.
“Marriages should require emotional compatibility, which is a very basic thing that is everyone’s right. The couple should first and foremost like each other. You will prominently find that marriage in our society is itself a risk factor for poor mental health.”