Pakistan's 'wedding of the season' continues to grab attention on social media. As Junaid Safdar — son of Pakistani politician Maryam Nawaz and grandson of former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif — celebrated his nuptials to Shanzeh Ali Rohail, the internet could not get over the bridal fashion choices. Also read | Maryam Nawaz’s daughter channels Deepika Padukone in identical silver saree look at Junaid Safdar’s Lahore wedding: Pics
Pakistani fashion content creator and stylist Moeed Shah took to Instagram on January 18 to ‘dissect the baraat (wedding) looks’, and he did not hold back.
The Ananya Panday comparison
Moeed wrote in his caption, “So the baarat looks came out and I was confused...” The primary bone of contention for him was Shanzeh’s choice of a Tarun Tahiliani saree for her baraat.
In the video, he explained: “Let's dissect the baraat looks together. Starting off with the bride, Shanzeh Ali Rohail, and I'm going to be super honest, the look just did not deliver. It fell flat. The wow factor was lacking. We expected something different, something memorable. And what did we get? Repetition and monotony? She (Shanzeh) wore a Tarun Tahiliani saree, which has already been worn by Ananya Pandey at some random event (she wore the saree for Aadar Jain and Alekha Advani's Mumbai wedding reception in 2025).”
A missed opportunity for local Pakistani fashion
Moeed argued that for a wedding of this magnitude — a high-profile political merger between the families of Nawaz Sharif and Sheikh Rohail Asghar — the fashion should have been iconic.
Noting that Shanzeh had already worn an Indian designer (Sabyasachi) for her mehendi, he said: “For the baraat, I genuinely felt a Pakistani designer could have been done; it's the biggest political wedding of the season, millions of people are watching, nationally and internationally. The least you could do was promote local fashion.”
Moeed further highlighted the 'monotony' of Shanzeh's wedding function appearances, saying her mehendi and baraat looks were indistinguishable: “Same hair, same glam, same energy... nothing to shift the mood at all. For baraat, brides are allowed to do the most.”
Maryam Nawaz steals the spotlight
Moeed praised the mother-of-the-groom – dressed in a golden suit by Pakistani designer Iqbal Hussain, Maryam Nawaz was praised for embracing the traditional 'essence' of a Pakistani wedding. Also read | ‘Dressed like dulhan’: Maryam Nawaz’s look for son’s second marriage triggers debate on Pakistani internet
He said: “Just look at Maryam Nawaz in this beautiful outfit by Iqbal Hussain. Heavy kundan set, bindi... mehndi, Valentino bag. I mean, she ate, she slayed... she had all the essence that was missing elsewhere.”
The stylist concluded his review with: “And then finally, we have Junaid Safdar in this white HSY (Hassan Sheheryar Yasin) bungalow sherwani, gold buttons… full-on prince energy vibes, no notes. Overall, Shanzeh was pretty, but underwhelming. Maryam Nawaz and Junaid, you both ate.”