By an overwhelming vote, the National Assembly on Friday approved a law that forbids child weddings in Islamabad.
Sharmila Faruqui, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), proposed the measure, which aims to end child marriage. Any marriage between a male and a female under the age of eighteen will be deemed a criminal offense under the bill.
It claimed that social and scientific studies have demonstrated that child marriage violates the fundamental rights of both boys and girls and is detrimental to both.
Nikah registrars will be required by law to refrain from registering weddings involving minors under the new legislation. Anyone who registers or performs such a marriage without the required paperwork faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a fine of Rs100,000, or both.
