Pronouncing three divorces in one sitting a punishable offence, says CII official

Honour killing and other customs such as Vani are also declared un-Islam and liable to punishment in the proposed bill

ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has declared pronouncing three consecutive divorces a punishable offence in the new model bill being prepared, said a senior member of the council.

“Triple divorce in one sitting has been declared against the injunctions of Islam and punishable offence in the proposed bill,” Abdullah, who also served as chief secretary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

Similarly, man-made customs of Swara, Vanni and similar norms and killing of women in the name of honour have also been declared against the injunctions of Islam and liable to punishment in the proposed bill, he added.



In Vani and similar practices, an accused family hands over their girls without their consent in marriage to an aggrieved family as compensation to settle blood feud between them.

Further, the CII made its recommendations on the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 in the bill to address the grievances of the society, Abdullah said without delving into details.

According to the senior member, there are about 160 Articles in the bill expected to be finalised during the next meeting of the council.



Triple divorce, a husband declaring the word thrice in one sitting to his wife, has been a serious issue for women right activists in Pakistan and India.

Despite several recommendations by religious scholars, the governments have not so far been unable to settle the issue.

According to scholars, Islam discourages divorce as it is the most disliked of all permissible acts but unlike some religions, does make provisions for divorce by either party.

The experts went on to say that triple divorce closes doors for reconciliation between the man and the divorcee at once, with the fact that in many such cases, a husband wishes to redeem his act.

The husband, if he has to, should exercise the right of divorce gradually with an interval of three months, they added.



On June 15, the top advisory body had declared killings in the name of honour un-Islamic and against Pakistani laws, saying the religion does not allow any person to take the law into his hands.

The council caused an uproar after it proposed that a husband should be allowed to ‘lightly’ beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires; turns down demand of intercourse without any religious excuse or does not take bath after intercourse or menstrual periods.