The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Tuesday rejected a bill that banned marriage under the age of 18, called it “non-Islamic” and incompatible with the Sharia law.
The bill recently passed by the National Assembly and approved by the Senate aimed to ban children’s marriages in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), criminalizing unions involving someone under the age of 18. CII said the legislation of defining minor marriage as rape and imposing criminal offenses contradicted Islamic teachings.
At his most recent meeting, the Council criticized Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) the government’s proposed “Child Escape Book Administration 2025”, arguing that it was contrary to Sharia and expressed concern that the legislation had not been sent to CII for review before its presentation in parliament.
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It completed with a formal statement that rejected the federal bill originally filed by Pakistan Peoples Party Lawmaker Sharmila Farooqui.
In addition, the council expressed that although Thalassemia tests before marriage could be promoted, it should not be made mandatory. It emphasized the importance of keeping marriage procedures free of unnecessary complexities in accordance with Islamic principles.
The Council referred to SINDH prevention and control of the Thalassemia Act 2013, making it mandatory for couples to undergo Thalassemia tests before marriage. It also condemned societal pressure on families-Ice-off bridal-to give dowry, called practice un-Islamic.
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The council said that women should be allowed to keep either the residence of their husbands or parents after marriage. It reiterated that a man under Islamic law is not financially responsible for her divorced wife after the end of her IDDAT (wait).
CII also announced the formation of a committee to review and propose amendments to section 7 of the “Muslim Family Law Amendment Proposal 2025” at a request from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Separately, the Council reviews inquiries from the National Accountability Bureau on issues related to investments, housing schemes and Islamic profit sharing schemes such as Mudarabah.
