Pakistan to regulate Sikh marriages

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab created history on Wednesday by passing a law exclusively for regulating marriages of the Sikh minority.

The proposers of the legislation said this was the first time family matters of the Sikh community, such as marriages, will be regulated separately by authorities, local media reported.

The Punjab Sikhs Anand Karaj Marriages Act 2018 was first moved in the Punjab assembly by legislator Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora in October 2017. After garnering support from chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and other members of the treasury and opposition benches, the bill was unanimously passed by the assembly.

The passing of the bill effectively repealed the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 that was passed during British rule.

The bill will come into force after it is approved by the provincial governor. Every Sikh marriage that took place before the bill came into force will also gain legal status.

According to the bill, a marriage ceremony or ‘Anand Karaj’, defined as “the lawful union of a Sikh male and Sikh female”, will be performed in accordance with religious practices enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib.

The ceremony will be performed by a man or a woman called a ‘granthi’ who will read out from the holy book.

The media reported that the Sikh community welcomed the passage of the bill and lauded the role of the Punjab government. Sikh leaders said it was a good omen that showed love and respect for members of the community, adding it allowed them to protect family matters.

EVERY SIKH MARRIAGE THAT TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE BILL CAME INTO FORCE WILL ALSO GAIN LEGAL STATUS