Salman Shehzad Despite the massive campaign of civil society in Pakistan the bill to prohibit early marriages has been withdrawn after the Council of Islamic Ideology once again declared it un-Islamic. The bill ‘to end the underage marriage’, presented by a lawmaker from the ruling party in the National Assembly have faced the same criticism by the rightists. The Council of Islamic Ideology, a constitutional body which gives Islamic legal advice to the federal Government for legislations has declared that Pakistani laws prohibiting child marriage are against Islam in a recent series of rulings. The rulings were widely criticized. It is estimated that 21% of girls in Pakistan are married before the age of 18. Child marriage in Pakistan is connected with tradition, culture, religion and customary practices. It sometimes involves the transfer of money, settlement of debts or exchange of daughters (Swara or Watta Satta) sanctioned by a Jirga ...
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