Pakistan's Sindh province passes Hindu Marriage Bill

The Sindh Assembly of Pakistan on Monday passed the Hindu Marriage Bill 2015, thus becoming the first province in the country to allow the minority community to register their marriages.

Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro moved the bill, which will apply to entire Sindh province, which has a sizeable population of Hindus. During the discussion on the bill, he said it was the first time since the creation of Pakistan that such a bill was being passed.

He added that the decision has been taken to provide mechanism for formally registering Hindu marriages in the Sindh province, the Express Tribune reported. According to the bill, the minimum age for marriage has been fixed at 18.

It also states that the consent of both male and female is required for solemnising the marriage and at least two witnesses are to present at the time of the registration. The bill also states that every marriage being solemnised under this act would be registered with the union council/ ward within 45 days of the solemnisation.

The bill should have retrospective effect for the purpose of validation and registration of the marriage prior to this law and any person who fails to get his marriage registered would be liable to pay a fine of Rs.1,000.