Uzma Bukhari calls early marriages harmful and stresses that young girls must be allowed to complete their education
Punjab assembly. PHOTO: FILE
The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 by majority vote after a detailed and heated debate between the treasury and opposition members, along with key legislative activities and a question hour session.
The session, chaired by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, began with a delay of 53 minutes. Punjab’s Information Minister, Uzma Bukhari, termed early marriages harmful to girls’ health and education, stressing that young girls should be allowed to complete their education instead of being married off early.
During the proceedings, Uzma raised strong concerns and stated that for the first time members were not provided with copies of the bill. She stressed that it was essential for all legislators to have access to the draft law before it was passed.
On her complaint, the Speaker directed that copies of the bill be immediately distributed among the members.
Read more: Punjab amends child marriage law
In her speech on the bill, Uzma stressed that early marriages were harmful to young girls and argued that proper documentation, such as national identity cards or birth certificates, should be mandatory for marriage.
She noted that the legal age of marriage, previously 16, was now raised to 18.
The debate intensified when Finance Ministry member Zulfiqar Ali Shah suggested that people under 18 seeking marriage should be allowed to do so with court permission, warning against placing legislation above societal values.
His remarks drew a strong reaction from Uzma, who argued that young girls often lacked the awareness and maturity required for marriage and that they should not be subjected to such practices.
Uzma further stated that both mental and physical maturity must be ensured before marriage and criticized the practice of forcing young girls into marriages under social or cultural pressure.
She also referred to the support of the Federal Sharia Court for similar legislation passed by the Sindh Assembly.
After extensive debate, the bill was passed by a majority. The meeting ended after the passage of the bill, reflecting deep divisions, yet agreement on legislative measures against child marriage.
During the case, the provincial minister for minerals, Sher Ali Gorchani, claimed that during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s tenure, large tracts of pink salt land were allotted to favored individuals through changes in regulations, claiming that up to 100,000 acres were distributed.
Read also: Children’s rights: Sindh makes marriage under the age of 18 punishable by law
Opposition member Iqbal Khattak raised concerns over check posts in his constituency and said citizens were being harassed in the name of checking.
On 14 April, the Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development set 18 as the legal minimum age of marriage for both boys and girls across the province, abolishing the previous provision that had allowed girls to marry at the age of 16.
The committee unanimously approved a bill to curb child marriage and strengthen child protection laws in the province.
It further declared child marriage a cognizable, non-detainable and non-complaintible offence, enabling immediate police action and preventing any private settlement of such cases.
Under the proposed law, any person involved in facilitating child marriage, including the adult spouse, parents or guardians, Nikah registrars or any other intermediary, could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 1 million.
The law also categorized cohabitation after such marriage as child abuse, with harsher penalties, and mandates that all such cases be decided by the courts within 90 days.
