The Pakistan Senate on Friday unanimously passed the landmark Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, which would allow Hindus in the country to have a personal law for the first time. The Bill was approved by the National Assembly on September 26, 2016. It is expected that the Bill would get the presidential assent next week to become a law.
The Bill, which is the first personal law for the Hindu community in Pakistan, will allow Hindu women to acquire documentary proof of their marriage. It is applicable in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Sindh has its own Hindu marriage law.
The Bill would bring in a document called the 'Shadi Parath', which is similar to the Nikahnama for Muslims and will be signed by a 'pandit' following which it will be registered with the concerned department of the Pakistan government.
The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017 was presented by Law Minister Zahid Hamid in the Senate and was passed without any opposition. The Bill was approved by the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on January 2 with an overwhelming majority, according to Dawn.
"This was unfair, not only against the principles of Islam, but also a human rights violation, that we have not been able to formulate a personal family law for the Hindus of Pakistan," Committee chairperson Senator Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced while approving the Bill.
However, parliamentarians and members of the Hindu community have concerns over a clause in the Bill related to the 'annulment of marriage', which states that one of the spouses can move court for separation if either of them were to change their religion.
