Pakistan passes landmark Hindu marriage bill

A landmark bill to regulate marriages of Pakistan’s Hindu minority has been unanimously passed by the lower house of Parliament, paving the way for adoption of a comprehensive and widely acceptable family law for Hindus.

The Hindu Marriage Bill 2016 is the first personal law for the minority community and will help Hindu women get documentary proof of their marriage, which is needed while applying for passports and other official documents.

The bill was passed by the Senate or upper house of Parliament last month. It was originally passed by the National Assembly last September, but it had to be approved again by the lower house because of changes made by the Senate.

The National Assembly approved the amendments on Thursday after the bill was presented by human rights minister Kamran Michael. It will now be sent to the president for his signature. It will be applicable in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. Southern Sindh province, which is home to a majority of Pakistan’s Hindus, has already enacted its own Hindu marriage law.

The bill aims at easing growing insecurity among Hindus. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the bill provides a mechanism for registering Hindu marriages, conditions for contracting a marriage, and the procedure and grounds for dissolving one.

According to its provisions, both parties to a marriage must be of sound mind and capable of giving valid consent. The parties also must not be below the age of 18, a measure aimed at preventing the marriage of minors.

Michael said the human rights ministry took the lead to protect the rights of minorities and acted to process the bill after obtaining a “No Objection Certificate” from the religious affairs and interfaith harmony ministry. “There was no law to regulate the registration of Hindu marriages and ancillary matters thereto,” he said. The PML-N government is committed to protecting human rights, including the rights of women and minorities, he added.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PAK HISTORY, THE BILL PROVIDES A MECHANISM FOR REGISTERING HINDU MARRIAGES, AND TERMS FOR CONTRACTING OR DISSOLVING ONE