ISLAMABAD:
A piece of legislation on underage marriage has resurrected the debate on the issue, but the movers on Wednesday shunned the impression that it was introduced in reaction to an earlier ruling of the Council of Islamic Ideology.
The CII had recently ruled that laws on child marriage were un-Islamic.
Lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by MNA Marvi Memon, had introduced a bill in the National Assembly on March 25 suggesting harsher punishments for those who contract and solemnize such marriages through amendments in the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929.
This bill was sent two months ago to the Secretariat. Interestingly the timing of it coming from the Secretariat to the floor of the house is such that it came after the decision of the CII.
“That is not of my making. We have not suddenly introduced this bill as a reaction to the ruling of the CII,” Marvi Memon said while talking to The Express Tribune, on Wednesday.
She clarified saying “It
[bill]is not as a reaction. This bill was moved to the Secretariat a couple of months back and the process takes it due course and time. Now it has come to that time and I am grateful the government decided to send it to the committee,” she added.
“This is not
[pushing]a Western agenda,” she said. “We are a PML-N government and follow the constitution and all Islamic laws in letter and in spirit.”
“Yes, we feel strongly about protecting our children and we do it keeping the Quran and Sunnah in mind. At no point will we move away from the Quran and Sunnah,” she added.
She further said, “As a sitting member of the PML-N, I would never dream of bringing an un-Islamic law to Parliament because we also have to answer to God before we answer to anyone else.”
Responding to a question, Memon said that she is looking forward to giving the arguments during the parliamentary committee.
“What was followed yesterday was completely as per process: the mover moves a bill, the government gives its response, and then allows discussion and debate in the committee,” she added.
Strategy at parliamentary committee
Though the matter has not yet been fixed for deliberations in the standing committee, the movers have made their strategy and for that matter they will be assisted by religious scholars who will respond to the concerns of the CII.
“We will put forward the recommendations of Islamic scholars and data from Islamic countries before the parliamentary committee. This will ensure that the issue will be settled in line with the teachings of Islam,” said Memon.
Responding to a question about the CII chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani’s statement that Parliament cannot legislate against Islam, she said “Maulana Shirani has rightly said that the Parliament cannot legislate on a bill which is against Islam, but the question is who will determine that?”
It will be determined by the committee and in case it determines that the bill is against the teachings of Islam, there will be no legislation.
There is no legislation at this juncture. The committee will merely discuss and there is no bar on holding discussion, she added.
“The deciding factor is the parliament and if it decides the bill is un-Islamic then it has the right to throw this bill out,” she added.
‘“We will put forward the recommendations of Islamic scholars and data from Islamic countries before the parliamentary committee. This will ensure that the issue will be settled in line with the teachings of Islam,” said Memon.’
Marvi Memon is playing with fire when she wants to compare data from Islamic countries.
Marvi is correct to speak out against child marriages. But, Marvi did nothing, and shall do nothing in the future also, when muslims of Pakistan exercise their religious right regularly to kidnap and bring to their homes 6 year old hindu girls and rape them right within their family homes. Marvi will keep mum on this along with the rest of muslims of Pakistan. Can anyone tell me one thing that any court, party or muslim population of Pakistan has done on this? No probe of such events, no effort to correct the future, and so it will continue to perpetuate for ever and percolate to affect their own in some other form. Even recently, when two hindu girls aged 5 and 6 years old were kidnaped and converted no action has been taken on the kidnapers though the girls have been recovered.
Uh-oh. She’s backtracking and paying lip service to Islam and the CII. She clearly doesn’t want to encourage the impression that she’s taking on the regressive fundamentalists in the CII.
She didnt speak on the Hazara issue- and when i confronted her on twitter she blocked me.
Nothing will happen. She has been off the spot light. Its an attention seeking drama!
@Raj,,, Do change your tune, always bleating on against Muslims/ Pakistan, India is not much better or do purposely ignore it and always attack others, In reality you seem to be a one trick pony or paid American puppet never a bad comment about india, please you live in a state that has helped murder thousands of innocent people world wide just look at Syria, Americans keep reminding the world of 3000 dead in the twin towers, and just how many have been killed in Syria alone, so stop going on and on its PATHETIC!
Then why to create laws in the first place. Let the CII create laws but then why we need politicians and elections of they cannot frame laws.
In 1947 the population of Pakistan was about 31 million. Now it is over 180 million!
We are not only exploiting our precious ecological resources but even misusing our minor girls as children producing machines!
What future have has our coming generation? Think please, because this is what the mullahs have never learned!
Can we please have a bill to teleport the CII to 50BC or Somalia…for good..
Please go away CII (waste of space)
@Bash
Please remind us how many Indian Muslims or other minorities (adults or otherwise) have been kidnapped and forcibly converted to Hinduism! India has its faults – caste system, rapes etc but that is never govt policy – it is the social backwardness of the populace (of all religions); in fact the govt has laid down strict laws to dissuade such behaviour. Unlike the laws West of Wagah – which seem to pander to the fundamentalists; as evidenced by the vigorous backpedalling by the minister here! The minister simply has got cold feet the moment her opponents started hinting that her proposed law was ‘Un-Islamic’!
And what has the conflict in Syria to do with 9/11? There you have Muslims killing Muslims; yet America is to blame? When US intervened in Libya, the view of the Muslim world was that US should not intervene. When they don’t intervene – as in Syria, they still get the blame?
Instead of addressing the very valid issues raised by Raj; you choose to malign the messenger!
@Bash UK:
How US is responsible for Syrian war?
vinsin and company/;;;;;; My comment was directed at RAJ
@vinsin:
Syria was attacked by and with the help of the US, Please try to stay informed..
you will be able to find some
The issue of child marriage can be addressed and will be successful only if religion and state are seperated. Under islamic laws, adolscent girls are allowed to marry and no politician will dare to question the islamic law . But if religion is seperated from state, you can bring about progressive laws based on modern and democratic views which will help to empower women and lead the country to progress.
@Raj – USA:
You are narrow minded always biased when it comes to Muslims, Islam, and Pakistan
Well not the first Pakistani politician to cower in front of the religious uber-right.
@Bash UK:
I agree us is quite you know obsessed with war – but what does the us have to do with Syria ? As far as I know people are forcing us to go in and get bashar off and saying because there is no oil they r not doing it…uhm if I was us president I would not go anywhere near that country and as far as I know USA is supporting the REBELS. so your point is invalid. this war is nothing but Shia and Sunni fight now and against a tyrant dictator.DONE.
@Bash UK:
There are no Americans fighting and so how they killed Syrian people. On which date US attacked Syria.
@Bash- who attacked Syria with help from America? Do inform us!!
speaking to stone age desert cavemen minds!!! joke of the century
@marvi
‘Islamic Scholars’ ? , it is a contradiction in terms.
There are scholarly muslims, but I have never come across islamic scholars.
@3rdRockFromTheSun: When a person leaves his mother country and settles abroad for economics and religion, it is better not to dabble in politics. Obviously, you cannot write against the adopted country, for reasons best known.
Bash has got it right whereas you and Raj are infinitely wrong. If Hindu girls of five or six are kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam then remember nobody will take their word, they being minors.
What happened to Muslims in Gujerat 2002 with the patronage of Modi? Who invaded Iraq in 1991 and 2003? Who invaded Viet Nam, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Guatemala, among others on flimsy pretexts? ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ is not lost on the world. it is the BIGGEST FRAUD pulled off by the USA. If the USA is not directly involved it is always the darkest shadow behind the scenes.
There are radicals or extremists or fundamentalists or oh yawn, whatever you want to call them. The aim is one and that is to create terror and being blind sided in their unbreakable
belief in what their cult leader says…….terror is spread. Have a nice day and salams.
@Jahangir Chauhan:
Why don’t you answer his question? why such things encouraged in pakistan in the name of islam and then you blame him being narrow minded?
@Reeba
Yep you are right. But it is impossible to separate state and the religion in pakistan.
Not allowing underage marriages is acceding to a Western agenda? Wither our own sense of morality?
Anyone that marries an underage child is just a pervert looking for a religious license to vet some fantasy.
@the Skunk – rebuttal, Mods – pls publish
So it is best not to assume and appear a fool!
But a classic tactic – ignore the issue and malign the messengers!
@vinsin:
Quite clearly you do not understand English, I have never once said us attacked Syria but they are the main instigators now run away and find exactly who is behind deaths of Syrian and in my view the USA has blood on its hands, ,end!
@Bash UK:
You said Syria was attached by US. You can check it. If US has not attacked now according to you then how come they have blood in their hands? And where do you want me to run?
If Pakistan would be populated by decent people there would be no need for such a law. The problem is that you cannot live in the 21th century and at the same time in the stone age.
@Bash UK:
Dear Bash,
Sometimes I think we are fighting a loosing battle. In the last 12 years the US has attacked or organized terrorist attack on several countries, over two million people are dead, many more injured, the countries attacked are now radio active and will be for the next 4.9 billion years, but some people just refuse to see the reality of the situation. However, keep up your good work. Getting back to the point of the article I do not think that young girls will be protected any time soon. The PM Nawaz Sharif appears to be shifting ground and giving in to the Mullahs. Unbelievable.