Nikah registrar to face action if minor girl married: LHC

Court regrets its orders for stopping child marriages not being followed

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Saturday declared that the nikah registrar would be taken to task in case of a minor girl’s marriage.

Justice Anwaarul Haq Pannun issued the verdict on a petition filed by Azmat Bibi, who sought the recovery of her 14-year-old daughter.

The court observed that the LHC had issued clear orders for stopping the marriage of minors.
It added that at the time of the marriage, the nikah registrar, the person who solemnised it as well as witnesses must have documents confirming the age of the bride.

The LHC regretted that child marriages were still taking place despite the court’s clear directions on the matter.

It noted that apparently the nikah registrars and those who solemnised them were not following the court’s instructions.

Read Police arrest 70-year-old man for marrying minor girl in Swat

The judge ordered the relevant authorities to take strict action against the nikah registrars and nikah khawans involved in child marriages.

National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar welcomed the LHC’s verdict that ordered action those registering the marriage of minor girls.

In a statement issued from Islamabad, she said the commission valued the LHC decision’s to stop the marriage of minors and take action against the nikah registrars who were involved in them.

The NCSW chairperson added that the marriage of minor girls should be banned across the country.

Bakhtiar maintained that the NCSW was striving for an imposition of a ban on child marriages at the federal and provincial levels.

She continued that the commission was pushing the assemblies across the country for setting the minimum age of marriage at 18 years.

“[The commission also wants the assemblies] to make it mandatory for a bride’s identity card to be present at the time of her marriage.”

Pakistan has committed to the UN that it would ensure an end to underage and forced marriages in the country by 2030 in line with its plan to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Marriage before the age of 18 has long been recognised as harmful for the growth and development of women. The expert body that monitors the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women stipulates 18 years as the minimum age for marriage both for males and females.