Reply sought in plea against a section of Punjab Child Marriage Act

LAHORE:Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim on Thursday sought a reply from the federal and Punjab governments on a petition challenging section 2 of the Punjab Child Marriage Act 1929.

The petition has been moved by Advocate Abuzar Salman Niazi contending that section 2 of the Child Marriage Prohibition Act is in conflict with the Constitution. He argued that the said section is a discrimination against women. According to this section, the age of puberty for boys is 18 years while for girls is 16 years, the counsel added.

He said that this age difference is an obstacle as because of this section, the accused who marry young girls escape punishment. He said that the Sindh government made eighteen years as the minimum legal age for marriage of girls in 2013. He further argued that in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Morocco, girls under the age of 18 cannot be married. It is requested that the court declare Section 2 of the Child Marriage Act null and void, the petition concluded. The court after hearing the arguments has sought comments from the Punjab and the federal government.