adminActivists in Pakistan have demanded the removal of the chief of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) after a bill to increase the minimum legal age for marriage from 16 to 18 was opposed and termed “blasphemous” by the advisory body.
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony rejected the “child marriage restraint” bill last week after the council dubbed it “anti-Islamic”.
The move to ban under-18 marriages — and increase punishment for those carrying them out — was initiated by Marvi Memon, a member of the National Assembly, who was forced to withdraw it last Thursday following staunch resistance from the CII. The council advises the legislature whether certain bills are compliant with Islamic law.
According to a UNICEF estimate, 3 percent of girls in Pakistan are married before they turn 15 and 21 percent before age 18. Those involved in an under-age marriage are punished by one month in prison in addition to a PKR 1,000 fine ($10). — Aljazeera.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter