Police have arrested a 70-year-old man for marrying a 13-year-old girl in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ARY News reported on Monday.
According to reports, a 13-year-old girl was wedded to a 70-year-old man in Swat by her father. Upon receiving this information, the police promptly intervened and apprehended both the groom and the father of the underage girl.
The officiating cleric (nikahkhuwan) and witnesses of the ceremony were also detained. Concurrently, the minor girl was transferred to the hospital for medical evaluation.
The act of child marriage flagrantly violates the fundamental rights outlined in the Constitution of Pakistan, which obliges the state to protect all its citizens, particularly women and children.
Currently, Pakistan’s law, the antiquated Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, stipulates the minimum marriage age as 16 for girls and 18 for boys.
Efforts by lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to raise the minimum marriage age to 18 have encountered repeated obstacles, largely due to apprehensions regarding resistance from conservative factions.
