Pakistan’s Top Islamic Body Rejects Child Marriage Ban as ‘Un-Islamic,’ Sparks Outcry Over Rights of Minor Girls

by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Pakistan’s top Islamic advisory body has rejected a bill banning child marriage in Islamabad, calling it “un-Islamic” and contrary to Sharia law.

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), led by Dr. Raghib Naeemi, also dismissed a similar bill from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The CII said the federal government failed to consult it before passing the legislation, which sets 18 as the minimum marriage age and criminalizes underage unions as statutory rape.

The bill, approved by both houses of Parliament, awaits the president’s signature. It mandates ID checks for marriages and imposes strict penalties on violators, including up to seven years in prison and heavy fines. The law would apply only to Islamabad.

Christian lawmakers and human rights advocates praised the bill as a breakthrough in protecting girls from forced conversions and child marriage. “It’s a vital step for safeguarding vulnerable minors,” Punjab Assembly member Ejaz Alam Augustine told MorningStar News.

Critics say the CII’s stance reinforces religious loopholes that allow child abuse. While the Christian Marriage Act sets 18 as the legal age, Muslim girls can still marry younger under Sharia law.

Pakistan ranked eighth on the 2025 Open Doors World Watch List for Christian persecution, where laws and customs often allow forced conversion and marriage with impunity.

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