JI tables bill to ban dowry in KP Assembly

E-Paper | June 08, 2026

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Thursday tabled a bill in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seeking to ban exploitative dowry practices.

The bill, tabled by JI MPA Rashida Riffat, includes the following proposals:

A complete ban on the give and take of dowry in wedding ceremonies.
Three months worth of jail time and Rs200,000 fine for anyone involved in the give and take of dowry.
Legal action against anyone involved in pressuring the bride's family into giving dowry.
Gifts given to the couple at the wedding should not cost more than Rs10,000.
The valima ceremony should cost should no more than Rs75,000.
Marriage functions to not continue after 10pm.
Only beverages to be served at nikah and baraat ceremonies.

“This is a landmark bill and we support it fullym,” said KP government spokesman Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani.

He added that the provincial government plans to get the bill unanimously passed and will look for ways to ensure its implementation in the province.

In Pakistan, there have been numerous instances of violence against women and their families for not providing 'adequate' dowry to the groom's family at the time of the wedding.

While much has been said against the custom, no concrete legal steps have so far been taken to prevent its frequent occurrence.

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logicaldue

Mar 02, 2017 06:39pm

Issue of giving and taking Dowrey is a social one and may be hard to eradicate by legislation. Pass the law if you must but putting in hard numbers 75,000 for cost of valima and 10,000 for gift is unwise. Hopefully the law is drafted carefully and does eventually help in stamping out the dowery.

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Abdul Manan Khan

Mar 02, 2017 06:38pm

Good Proposal but I guess same will happen to this bill as was with one dish wedding ceremony.

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kau

Mar 02, 2017 06:39pm

just fantastic

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maverik

Mar 02, 2017 06:38pm

Good job KP. Leading from the front. Lets present similar bill on the national level.

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@rana

Mar 02, 2017 06:48pm

now this is some progressive move.

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Asif A Shah

Mar 02, 2017 06:57pm

A noble effort.

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Ahmed bin Babar

Mar 02, 2017 07:14pm

Austerity not all out ban is appreciable, we may also collect tax on dowery and spend that on the marriage of needy couples...

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Quraishi

Mar 02, 2017 07:36pm

"A complete ban on the give and take of dowry in wedding ceremonies." This is amazing "Three months worth of jail time and Rs200,000 fine for anyone involved in the give and take of dowry." There should only be jail,& no fines as again fine is also not allowed in Islam. "Legal action against anyone involved in pressuring the bride's family into giving dowry" Good,it should be considered as a crime and theft. "Gifts given to the couple at the wedding should not cost more than Rs10,000." Absolute rubbish, how r these politicians, they just take any right from anyone at will.. Its my money how can someone tell me not how to use it, i hate such communist thinking, in islam we r encouraged to give gifts.I thought Pakistan is a free country. "The valima ceremony should cost should no more than Rs75,000." How stupid is this, and why? If rich people dont spend money, how ill the poor get jobs, how will money circulate in the economy. Just emotional thinking that never solves real problems

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Dr. rafiq khan

Mar 02, 2017 07:54pm

Only the Mullah brigade could think it is wise to pass legislation restricting the rights of Pakistanis. Pakistanis should be free to conduct wedding events as they please as long as one Pakistani is not infringing on the rights of another Pakistani. Why don't these Mullahs ever engage in activism against tax evasion, domestic abuse, child abuse, rape, molestation, toxic waste dumping, or degradation of the environment?

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Roghani

Mar 02, 2017 07:55pm

I appreciate spirit but it has flaws. like what about Barat and Hina expenses. Instead they should ask for one dish or two dishes in weddings which could be easily monitored. They may also emphasis on inheritance rights of females.

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Roghani

Mar 02, 2017 07:58pm

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Roghani

Mar 02, 2017 08:03pm

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Aliya Bibi

Mar 02, 2017 08:01pm

That's fantastic! we need that bill for all over Pakistan.

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Khwarizmi

Mar 02, 2017 08:17pm

Great move.

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Mar 02, 2017 08:26pm

Good job. There is no room for Downey and forced marriages in Islam!

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DIL

Mar 02, 2017 08:27pm

Amazing!! now poor family from girl side has some sort of excuse to avoid dowry and expensive wedding which they never had before . now it should also be implemented strongly .

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John sutton

Mar 02, 2017 08:35pm

Good progressive move. The KPK is seen as a super religious place. The fact is that they have some very progressive people.

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Xyz

Mar 02, 2017 09:01pm

The bride family don't pay any dowry to the groom family in kp, it's the other way around. However the people of Punjab and Sindh still practice this.

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majid

Mar 02, 2017 09:08pm

@Quraishi agreed rhetoric but impractical

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flipflop

Mar 02, 2017 10:23pm

Law is very much needed however limiting people to a certain cost for valimma and other events is unfair. Leave it to the people on how much they want to spend but I like the part where dowry will be made illegal and parties after 10 are not allowed. Perhaps put a limit on the food such as wasting of food would lead to fines for the client or limit the number of dishes that can be served. I think it should not be more than 4 dishes.

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Zain Abedin

Mar 02, 2017 11:01pm

MashaALLAH this is a very good and humbling step by KPK. Well done JI Pakistan Zindabad.

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Ahmad Hassan

Mar 02, 2017 11:17pm

Amazing move by JI. I wish successful implementation of this law.

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Abdullah

Mar 03, 2017 12:13am

Good one

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Pashtunyar

Mar 03, 2017 12:59am

Cant understand the logic behing the proposed law. The govt can and probably do earn more by taxing wedding events rather than banning them alright.

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Justice

Mar 03, 2017 03:14am

Why not make a federal law so all other provinces can benefit too,

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Abdul Khaliq

Mar 03, 2017 07:15am

Although, if someone is able to implement it, it is us the 'males' of the society. We should reject the idea of pampering ourselves with something like dowry. Very sensible move from JI. A truly democratic party in Pakistan.

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MFK

Mar 03, 2017 09:51am

It should be made clear in bill dowry does not include Mehar(bridal gift from husband to wife)

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AHA

Mar 03, 2017 10:29am

Like any other things, Dowry became commercial. Dowry was symbol of pure love a father shows to his daughter while leaving the house. Not to say the property was given only to sons. The only solution is educating girls, making them worthwhile by employing and making a law to give them right on ancestral property.

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