Uzma Bukhari considers early marriages harmful and stresses that girls must be allowed to complete their education
Punjab Assembly. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed the Child Marriage Restriction Bill, 2026 by a majority vote following a detailed and heated debate between Treasury and Opposition members, along with key legislative matters and a question session.
The session, chaired by President Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, began with a delay of 53 minutes. Punjab Information Minister Uzma Bukhari termed early marriages as detrimental to the health and education of girls, and emphasized that young girls should be allowed to complete their education instead of being married off prematurely.
During the process, Uzma expressed serious concern and stated that for the first time, members did not receive copies of the bill. He stressed that it was essential that all legislators have access to the bill before its approval.
Upon her complaint, the spokesperson ordered that copies of the bill be immediately distributed to members.
Read more: Punjab amends child marriage law
Speaking about the bill, Uzma emphasized that early marriages were harmful to girls, arguing that proper documentation, such as national identity cards or birth certificates, should be mandatory for marriage.
He noted that the legal age of marriage, which was previously 16 years, was now being raised to 18 years.
The debate intensified when Treasury member Zulfiqar Ali Shah proposed that people under 18 who wanted to marry should be allowed to do so with court permission, warning against putting legislation before social values.
Her comments provoked a strong response from Uzma, who argued that young women often lacked the awareness and maturity necessary for marriage and should not be subjected to such practices.
Uzma further stated that physical and mental maturity must be ensured before marriage and criticized practices in which young girls were forced into marriage under social or cultural pressures.
He also referred to the Federal Shariat Court’s support for similar legislation passed by the Sindh Assembly.
After extensive debate, the bill was approved by a majority vote. The session concluded after the bill was passed, reflecting deep divisions but eventual consensus on legislative action against child marriage.
During the proceedings, Provincial Minerals Minister Sher Ali Gorchani alleged that during the rule of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, large tracts of pink salt land were allotted to favored people through amendments to the rules, claiming that up to 100,000 acres were distributed.
Also read: Children’s rights: Sindh punishes by law the marriage of minors under 18 years of age
Opposition member Iqbal Khattak expressed concern over checkpoints in his constituency and claimed that citizens were being harassed in the name of checkpoints.
On April 14, the Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development of the Punjab Assembly set 18 as the minimum legal age of marriage for both boys and girls across the province, abolishing the previous provision that allowed girls to marry at the age of 16.
The committee unanimously approved a bill to curb child marriages and strengthen child protection laws in the province.
Furthermore, it declared child marriage as a cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable offence, allowing for 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 registrars or any other facilitators, can face up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 1 million.
The law also categorizes cohabitation after marriage as child abuse, which carries stricter punishment, and mandates that all such cases be decided by courts within 90 days.
