The Council of Islamic Ideology seems to be going in favor of the recently proposed ‘Child Marriage Restraint Bill’. The bill states that the citizens of the country are allowed to do Nikkah at any age but for ‘Rukhsati’ (moving to the husband’s house) the girl needs to be at least 18 years old.

The bill was passed by the Senate Standing Committee late last year to lower down the ratio of early marriages in the country. Senator Sehar Kamran moved the bill on the floor of the upper house of the Parliament, from where it was subsequently referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) for further consideration.

CII was bound to give its final report on the matter within three weeks but that didn’t happen. After two months of delay, the council hasn’t yet given a conclusive decision regarding the bill due to its sensitive and complex nature.

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CII’s Take On The Matter

According to the CII chairman Dr. Qibla Ayaz, the bill is under the thorough consideration of the council members. Serious efforts have been put together to reach a logical conclusion regarding the exact minimum age for marriage. Dr. Qibla in a recent interview said:

It is a very sensitive and complex issue, therefore the committee members are reviewing it from all aspects before coming up with a final verdict. Though currently, various recommendations on the child marriage age are under consideration, the CII is also stuck to its suggestion given earlier in which it suggested that nikkah shall be performed at any age but rukhsati shall only be legally allowed after 18 years of age.

According to the chairman, the government of Pakistan wants to consider all the laws that are followed internationally in this regard. The council is said to be looking deeply into the norms and rules followed by the international Islamic scholars in other Muslim countries related to the minimum age of a girl for marriage.

CII’s chairman said that the committee’s members will submit the final report before him by Thursday (tomorrow).

Via Tribune