Pakistan’s Sindh Assembly passed the Hindu Marriage Bill on Monday making it the first province in the country to allow the minority community to register their marriages, amid calls from a leading Hindu group to remove a controversial clause in the landmark bill.
The bill, moved in the assembly by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nisar Khuhro, will apply to entire Sindh province, which has a sizeable population of Hindus.
Since the creation of Pakistan, it is the first time that such a law is being passed. The decision has been taken to provide mechanism for formally registering Hindu marriages in Sindh.Nisar Khuhro, Parliamentary Affairs Minister
It was passed after a national parliamentary panel last week cleared its draft, paving a way for registration of marriage and divorce for the Hindu community in Pakistan. The bill fixes the minimum age of marriage at 18.
According to the bill, it is necessary that a marriage is solemnised after consent of both male and female and at least two witnesses must be present at the time of the solemnisation and registration of the marriage.
Also read: Pakistan Approves Hindu Marriage Bill After Decades of Inaction
The absence of a Hindu Marriage law was a huge hindrance to getting marriage certificates, national identity cards and share in property. Hindus in Pakistan have long demanded a separate personal law to regulate their marriages.
Ramesh Vankwani, patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, said the Hindu community in the country was concerned about the clause.
The objectionable clause 12(iii) of the Hindu Marriage Bill can be used for forced conversions of Hindu girls and women. It states that a marriage could be terminated if either spouse converts to another religion.Ramesh Vankwani, Patron in-Chief, Pakistan Hindu Council
There were many instances when Hindu girls were abducted and later presented before the court with certificates confirming their conversion and marriage to a Muslim man, he said.
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