President Asif Ali Zardari has signed the bill prohibiting child marriage, under which both the man who marries and the officiating cleric (Nikah Khwan) can face severe punishment.
According to the details, under the law prohibiting child marriage, a Nikah Khwan will not conduct a marriage where one or both parties are under the age of 18. Violation of this can result in one year of imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 rupees.
If a man over the age of 18 marries an underage girl, he will face up to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The bill to prohibit child marriage was introduced in the National Assembly by Sharmila Faruqi, while in the Senate it was presented by Sherry Rehman.
The law states that if the court becomes aware that a child marriage is being conducted, it will issue an order to stop the marriage. If the party reporting the incident wishes to remain anonymous, the court will provide them protection.
It is noteworthy that despite numerous previous legal actions, an increase in the trend of marrying underage girls has been observed across the country. Analysts state that verifying a girl’s age before marriage is a crucial matter that must be taken seriously.
