A young couple in the southeastern province of Paktika died by suicide after being unable to meet the high cost of their planned wedding, local sources said on Saturday.
The incident occurred Friday in the village of Marghi, located in the Barmal district near the border with Pakistan. The couple had agreed, through their families, to a dowry and wedding cost totaling 2.2 million Afghanis, or roughly $28,000.
According to several residents who spoke with Amu TV, the groom, identified as Allah Noor, had traveled to the northern province of Samangan to earn money as a laborer. Despite his efforts, the bride’s family insisted that the full amount be paid, rejecting appeals for a reduction in the agreed sum.
Sources said the young woman consumed poison and died. After her funeral, Allah Noor also took his own life.
Dowry and wedding-related costs remain a source of social and economic strain in many parts of Afghanistan, often negotiated between families without input from the couples themselves. In recent years, calls for reform have increased, especially amid worsening poverty and unemployment.
The deaths come amid ongoing humanitarian hardship in the country, where millions face economic insecurity following the collapse of the previous government and international aid cutbacks.
