A number of young people in Farah province said that due to high dowries and restrictive customs, they cannot easily get married.

They said that preparing the dowry and wedding expenses takes between 5 to 10 years for them to start a married life.

Mohammad Younus Sepand, a resident of Farah province, has been engaged for four years, but due to poverty and lack of financial means, he has not been able to hold his wedding ceremony.

The dowry for his wedding was set at 700,000 afghanis by the bride's family, and with the help of a merchant, he has only managed to gather 350,000 afghanis for his fiancée's family.

Mohammad Younus Sepand told TOLOnews: "I graduated from university in 2020 and got engaged afterward. They set a dowry of 700,000 afghani for me. With the salary I receive, I cannot pay my wedding dowry for ten years. With this salary, I cannot get married; it will take ten to fifteen years."

"The dowries are very high ... they set a dowry of 800,000 to 900,000 Afghanis. It should be lowered. Many young people like me cannot pay it in several years. I ask the fathers of daughters to lower the dowries so that we are not forced to migrate," said Jawad, a resident of Farah.

A number of religious scholars in Farah do not consider the high costs of marriage, which families cannot afford, to be compatible with Sharia law.

"Dowries should be low so that young people can afford to pay them, because many families cannot afford it. It should be compatible with Sharia law," said Sharafuddin, a religious scholar.

Meanwhile, local officials in Farah said they are looking for an effective solution to reduce wedding and dowry costs in the province.

"We have raised awareness among people in mosques about this and told the mullahs to guide and inform them,"said Abdul Majeed Samim, head of the Vice and Virtue department of Farah.

Earlier, concerns about high dowries and wedding costs have been raised in various parts of the country. Most young people have been forced to leave the country illegally to cover these heavy costs.