ISLAMABAD: The pending bill titled ‘Child Marriage Restraint Bill’ in the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) is likely to keep the nikkah age undefined and set 18 years as the age limit for ‘rukhsati‘ (moving to husband’s house) in line with the earlier recommendations of the CII.
The bill is pending with the CII for the past two months as the CII committee is finding it difficult to give its final report on the issue.
Last year, the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill 2017 was referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) for review due to its sensitivity.
The matter of extension for “The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill 2017” was discussed in the Senate and was sent for further deliberation to the CII.
The bill moved by Senator Sehar Kamran is not about the “child marriage” itself as that is already an act of parliament; however, what Senator Sehar Kamran proposed was an amendment for a two-year increase in already declared legal age i.e. from 16 to 18 years.
The bill was passed by the Standing Committee, however, later it was referred to the CII for review and was asked to compile a report on it within three weeks. However, the CII has still not shared its report or recommendations.
CII chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz stated that the CII committee is thoroughly reviewing this bill and putting efforts to come up with a logical conclusion regarding the exact age for marriage.
