Islamabad:
The head of Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, announced the national protest against the proposal of legislation restricting minor marriages, calling the bill contrary to Islamic teachings and an attack on the religious identity of Pakistan.
Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar on Saturday, Fazl said that the law was shaped under foreign influence. “The identity of Pakistan is Islam and this identity is threatened,” he said.
He accused the government of writing legislation based on the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and United Nations resolutions, rather than Islamic principles. “The UN position is used to adopt laws against marriages at the start of age. The president also refuses to sign the bill on religious seminars,” he added.
Fazl criticized what he described as a breach of the Koran and the Sunnah. “Democracy is losing its case, and such actions allow stories of armed groups,” he warned.
The head of Jui-F allegedly alleged that the past legal reforms, including those of the Military leader Pervez Musharraf, had targeted religious values. “The main thing is that the obstacles are placed on the path of legitimate marriage while ease is created for fornication,” he said, adding that the Islamic Ideology Council had already rejected the right to the marriage of the proposed children.
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Declaring a national protest against the bill, Fazl said: “We will present our point of view in the world.”
Commenting on geopolitical questions, he said that the world had entered a new era of the Cold War. “Asia, under the direction of China, emerges as a new economic power. After September 11, we have spoken of a world revolution. Now, we are in a new phase,” he said.
Fazl also targeted India, declaring that “Modi’s madness pushed the region to war” and that the initial hopes for peaceful conflict resolution between Pakistan and India had decreased.
In a lighter moment, he kicked Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), saying: “I remember a joke – PPP protests against PTI because they even beat the corruption files of the People’s Party.”
In the event of regional cooperation, he noted the importance of links with Afghanistan and suggested that the extension of the Chinese-Pakistani economic corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan and other countries would be a positive development.
What is the children’s marriage bill?
Friday, the president AIF Ali Zardari signed the bill on the restraint of the marriage of children in the capital of Islamabad, the law 2025, establishing the minimum age for marriage at 18 years in the federal capital. The new legislation criminalizes the celebration of marriages where the boy or the girl is a minor.
Under the law, no Nikah Khuwan (wedding officers) can lead a marriage involving minors, with violations liable to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 100,000.
In addition, a man over 18 who marries a minor girl can make up to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The bill also authorizes the courts to intervene if they are informed of a minor marriage, in particular by protecting the identity of those who report such cases.
The bill was initially presented to the National Assembly by the MNA Sharmila Faruqui, PPP, then presented to the Senate by Sherry Rehman Senator. However, the legislation was confronted with the CII opposition, which declared the bill contrary to the Islamic principles.
The CII, in its advisory response, opposed the bill by arguing that Islamic case law authorizes girls’ marriage once they have reached puberty, whatever their age. The Council maintains that the fixing of a fixed minimum age of 18 years for marriage contradicts certain religious interpretations and should therefore not be made legally binding.
