Fatima Bhutto, granddaughter of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, tied the knot with Graham, an American citizen, in a simple Nikkah ceremony held at their ancestral home in Karachi on Friday.

The news of Fatima’s marriage to Graham (Gibran) was shared by her younger brother Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior on social media, after which she also shared pictures and details from the ceremony with followers.

Fatima, who shared a smiling picture with Graham, said that the brief ceremony of Nikkah was held at her family home, 70 Clifton.

Fatima visits animal shelter

The bride and groom paid a visit to The Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation, an animal shelter and rescue service in Karachi, on Saturday, a day after their Nikkah.

ACF founder, Ayesha Chundrigar, posted pictures of Fatima’s visit to the shelter. “Fatima came by to celebrate her special day with rescued animals with her husband & brothers the day after she got married,” she wrote.

Fatima Bhutto also tweeted pictures of her visit.

“It’s recounted in the Hadith that the Prophet (PBUH) told his followers “Fear God in your treatment of animals”(Abu Dawood). If only people practiced such kindness,’’ she wrote.

Bride’s ensemble

The author of Songs Blood Sword wore a traditional red dupatta with gold embellishments and a white pishwas with silver detailing, while her husband, Graham wore a traditional Sindhi cap and an Ajrak (the Sindhi traditional shawl) around his neck.

For her bridal ensemble, Fatima Bhutto opted for ‘Kaju Katli’, a white pishwas by the Pink Tree Company, a fashion brand co-founded by Fatima’s longtime friend, Mohsin Sayeed.

According to the website, the dress costs Rs 65,000, not including the price of the trousers, which were purchased separately for Rs 20,000.

The bride captioned that Zulfikar tied her ‘the Imam Zamin’ of Grandmother (Nusrat Bhutto), and the marriage ceremony was held in the library of her Grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, which is one of Fatima’s “favourite places on earth”.

She further wrote: “The pictures seen behind are from the childhood of my aunt, uncle and, father and the original flag of PPP was put up by their grandfather.”

Sindhi traditions

Fatima also maintained the interesting cultural tradition of Sindh during her marriage.

She shared a picture of a ritual called ‘Laoon’ in which the heads of the bride and groom are bumped into each other.

Fatima added that she will not arrange any other ceremony because she is not in favor of lavish weddings, especially when a lot of people are struggling, so it feels “very inappropriate”.

Fatima, who is the daughter of late Murtaza Bhutto, shared her feelings on the important day of her life and requested her followers to remember them in prayers and expressed her gratitude for all the kind wishes.

“We won’t be having any other ceremonies, I’m not one for opulent weddings but especially now it feels so inappropriate given what so many are struggling. I missed my darling father tremendously, I felt him in my heart, and among us as everyone present loved Papa so much,” she said.

Wishes for the happy couple

First Lady Tehmina Durrani attended the ceremony and tweeted a picture with the bride. and groom, saying that the intimate ceremony set an example of simplicity for the nation.

“Fatima Bhutto & Gibran’s marriage is an important msg of simplicity for the entire nation. The example set in ZAB’s historic library at 70 Clifton must become the new trend,” she wrote.

Sabeen Jatoi, the daughter of Ashiq Jatoi, was one of the guests at the intimate ceremony.

She wished the happy couple a lifetime of happiness. “To my sister and friend .. who is beautiful from the inside and outside. May you both be surrounded by love and loads of laughter. You set such a solid precedent in this culture of extravagance by opting for a small simple ceremony,” she wrote.