Ban on child marriage is deemed 'un-Islamic' by Pakistan's religious leaders

Daily Mail​

29-05-2025

A new law banning child marriage in Pakistan has been criticised by a prominent council for being 'un-Islamic'.
Pakistan's government last week passed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, which aims to put an end to minors being forced into marriages and cohabitation with adults.
The legislation, set to be signed into effect by President Asif Ali Zardari, will see adults found to be cohabiting with minors punished by up to seven years in a prison and a fine of one million rupees (£2,663) on charges of statutory rape.
It is set to roll out in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, with hopes that other parts of the country will introduce the law in short order.
But Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology - a prominent body that advises the government of the Muslim majority nation 'whether or not a certain law is repugnant to Islam' - has opposed the bill.
The council said in a statement published Tuesday: 'Declaring marriage below the age of eighteen as child abuse and prescribing punishments for it, and other controversial provisions, are not in line with Islamic injunctions.
'Overall, the Council rejected the bill. It also clarified that this bill was not sent to the Council for review by the Parliament or the Senate.
'Marriage should be protected from unnecessary legal complications, and a public awareness campaign in this regard could prove more effective,' it argued.
The bill was passed after several female politicians who were married off as minors shared their personal support.
Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries with the highest absolute number of women who were married before the age of 18 - more than 20 million.
Data compiled by activist group Girls Not Brides and Pakistan's National Institute of Population Studies suggest nearly 1 in 5 women in Pakistan (18%) are married before the age of 18, and 4% before the age of 15.
Researchers and activists point to a range of factors contributing to Pakistan's soaring child marriage rate, including religion, long-entrenched societal and gender norms, and rampant poverty.
Sherry Rehman, a senator who tabled the bill after MP Sharmila Farooqi introduced it in Pakistan's National Assembly, said the new legislation will 'send a powerful message'.
'It's a very important signal to the country, to our development partners, and to women that their rights are protected at the top.'
Naseema Ehsan, 50, told the Senate: 'I got married at 13 years old and I want child marriage to be banned.
'I was lucky to have good and affluent in-laws but most Pakistani women are not so lucky. Not every child has a supportive husband like me.'
The bill's text pointed out that research had 'invariably proved' that child marriage 'is harmful to both genders and especially girls who have hit puberty and are able to bear children'.
Ehsan added: 'I've never been so content to vote for a bill as the child marriage restraint bill,' in comments to The Guardian.
'The world has changed and developed. We have progressed and we must embrace the progress… It was a very much needed bill.'
Pakistan in 2010 devolved much political power to regional governments, entrusting provinces to draft and enact many of their own laws.
The regional government in the Pakistani province of Sindh passed a Marriage Restraint Act back in 2013 that outlawed marriage under the age of 18, but it remains the only province to have done so.
It is hoped that the new legislation set to come into effect across the Islamabad Capital Territory will lead to the measure being adopted throughout the country.
Nadeem Afzal Chan, a member of the Pakistan People's Party, said the government in Balochistan province would soon follow suit.
The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also drafted a child marriage restriction bill, though it is yet to be passed.
Pakistan has committed to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the United Nations.
But underage marriage is still rampant, particularly in rural areas of Pakistan.
The CII is seen as one of the most influential and prominent bodies preventing politicians from taking action.
A recently published article in Pakistani outlet Dawn described theological authorities as 'self-appointed custodians of belief and convention' that 'reject empowerment, making it difficult for political parties to criticise child marriage, forced conversions and other atrocities in their party manifestos and poll campaigns'.
'The deeply patriarchal undercurrents of our sociopolitical setting, too, have kept politicians from stressing on the need to abandon laws that validate child abuse as well as allow adults to coerce young girls into illegal unions,' it read.