A ban on child marriage and the requirement of a thalassaemia test before to marriage were among the major legislative proposals that the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) rejected on Tuesday, citing their inconsistency with Islamic principles.
The ‘Prohibition of Underage Marriage Bill’, which was proposed by PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui, was declared to be un-Islamic in a statement following a meeting that was presided over by CII Chairman Raghib Hussain Naeemi. The council characterized the bill’s other elements, such as penalties for underage marriage, as also being incompatible with Islamic teachings and stated that establishing a legal age limit for marriage is in conflict with Sharia.
The council also rejected the ‘Ban on Marriage of Children Bill 2025’ proposed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, stating that it is against Islamic law to declare marriages between people under the age of 18 abusive.
