LAHORE:
The Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development of the Punjab Assembly has taken a significant step by setting the minimum legal age of marriage for boys and girls across the province at 18 years, abolishing the earlier provision which allowed girls to marry at the age of 16.
The committee unanimously approved the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 to curb the child.
marriages and strengthen child protection laws in the province.
It further states that child marriage is a cognizable, non-bailable and non-cumulative offence, permitting immediate police action and preventing any private resolution of such cases.
Under the proposed law, anyone involved in facilitating child marriage, including the adult spouse, parents or guardians, Nikah clerks or any other facilitator, faces imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of up to Rs 1 million.
The law also classifies cohabitation after such a marriage as child abuse, punishable by harsher penalties, and mandates that all such cases be decided by the courts within 90 days.
During the meeting, the commission also directed the local government secretary to finalize the draft rules under the bill and present them before the commission for final approval within 60 days.
The committee observed that the legislation would play a vital role in eliminating child marriages, addressing gender disparities and strengthening legal protection of children in Punjab.
The standing committee meeting was held in Punjab Assembly under the chairmanship of MPA Muhammad Ashraf Rasool.
The provincial minister for local government and community development attended the session, along with officials from the Punjab Assembly secretariat and other relevant departments.
