Call to raise awareness on Hindu marriage law

Presentation on the evolution of Hindu personal laws in Sindh given during the workshop

KARACHI:

Taking strong exception to the lack of implementation of Sindh Hindus Marriage Act-2018, the civil society, rights activists, and law experts joined hands on Friday and stressed the need for raising massive awareness among different stakeholders for the legal rights and protections of the Hindu community living in Sindh.

During the workshop organised by the Sindh Human Rights Commission, the participants discussed at length how to implement the Sindh Hindus Marriage Act that has been lying idle for a few years now. Under the law, Hindu marriages are to be registered at the union council level soon after they are solemnised by pundits.

"The lack of implementation creates a host of problems for Hindus community members who are not legally registered with NADRA and databases of different government departments for issuing national identity cards, birth and death certificates, and passports, etc," said Sindh Human Rights Commission Chairperson Iqbal Ahmed Detho, while addressing a workshop.

"We are committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all citizens regardless of their religion or ethnicity. This can only be done with proper implementation of the laws," said Detho at the event which was held in the wake of The Express Tribune's story 'Painstaking wait for Hindu couples continues' that highlighted the lacunas and provincial government's delaying tactics in appointing pundits to register Hindu marriages.

During the workshop, Krishan Sharma from the national lobbying delegation, and Sukhdev gave a presentation on the evolution of Hindu personal laws in Sindh.

Rights activist Pushpa Kumari, said: "The Sindh Hindus Marriage (Amendment) Act 2018 provides legal protections to the Hindu community in Sindh."

Barrister Rida Tahir said, “SHRC has identified several issues with the Marriage Registration Process, including delays and lack of access to information.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2023.