President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday granted his consent to the draft Law on Child Marriage Restriction of the territory of the capital of Islamabad, according to a notification of the presidency shared by the PPP senator, Sherry Rehman in X.
The bill, which seeks to protect the rights of children and finally eradicate the marriages of children under 18, reached the presidency on May 27 after navigating through both Chambers of Parliament.
However, the movement attracted a strong opposition of the religious segments of society, with the CII ruling that classify marriage under 18 years of violation did not adjust to Islamic law.
“The project of restriction of child marriage of the territory of the capital of Islamabad, 2025 is settled, as the Parliament approved,” said the notification.
“Pakistan has reached a milestone in the promulgation of important legislation against children’s marriages,” Rehman said in a statement.
She said that the approval of the bill was successful despite the resistance of several sections, adding that President Zardari signed the bill despite the pressure.
“The signing of the Child Marriage Restriction bill is a symbol of a new era of reforms in Pakistan,” he said.
She praised approval as a victory for the protection of women and children’s rights, adding: “This law was possible after a long and difficult fight.”
“This bill is not just a law, it is a commitment that our girls have the right to education, health and a prosperous life,” Rehman continued.
He thanked the president of the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, party leaders, other political parties, representatives of the opposition and the public for their support for the bill.
He also asked other provinces to take measures towards this important legislation.
Previously, the ICI member, Maulana Jaludin, who belongs to the JUI-F, said that President Zardari should prevent anarchy in society and not sign the bill.
By the way, the members belonging to different sects opposed the bill.
Responding to a consultation, the ICI member had said that the Assembly could not be above the Sacred Koran and Sunnah. “This bill is not only against the norms of Sharia, but also contrary to the values of our society and our traditions,” said Maulana Jaluddin, qualifying the movement as a western conspiracy to destroy the “family system.”
The “bad intentions” were evident since the bill was not sent to the ICI, but approved by the Parliament “in secret,” he said.
However, PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqi, who presented the bill in the National Assembly, said that the marriage of girls under 18, should not receive a religious color and, on the other hand, be considered in the context of human rights.
“We are not against marriages. We say that marrying girls of only 13 or 14 years is unfair when girls under 18 have no right to vote, they cannot obtain national identity cards and driver’s license,” he added.
In this sense, the PPP legislator referred to a decision by the Federal Court of Shariat of 2022 that allowed the State to establish the age of marriage.
