ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday signed the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill into law, aiming to prohibit marriages involving children under 18 years of age.
The bill, which passed both houses of parliament and reached the presidency on May 27, seeks to protect children’s rights and eventually eliminate underage marriages in the capital territory.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman shared the signed notification on the social media platform X and described the bill’s approval as a significant milestone in Pakistan’s legislative reforms against child marriages.
She noted the legislation was enacted despite opposition from religious groups, including the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), which challenged the classification of marriages under 18 as rape on grounds of Islamic law.
Rehman called the signing a symbol of a new era of reform and hailed it as a victory for the rights of women and children. She said the law reflects a commitment to ensuring girls’ access to education, health, and a better life. She thanked party leaders, opposition representatives, and the public for supporting the bill and urged other provinces to adopt similar legislation.
The CII, with members from various sects including JUI-F, opposed the bill, arguing it contradicts Islamic teachings and societal traditions. CII member Maulana Jalaludin described the bill as a western conspiracy against the family system and criticized the parliamentary process for not involving the CII.
PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqi, who introduced the bill in the National Assembly, rejected framing the issue in religious terms and stressed it should be viewed as a human rights matter. She highlighted that girls under 18 lack other legal rights such as voting and obtaining identity cards, making early marriage unfair.
Faruqi also referenced a 2022 Federal Shariat Court ruling that affirmed the state’s authority to set marriage age limits.
