FALSE standards, unhealthy customs, wasteful expenditure, and most of all the scare: “What will people say?” runs right through the fabric of our society. Laws, to some extent, no doubt aim at correcting social evils, but law does not get absorbed in the fabric of social life immediately. A long course of social action alone can give to laws the props to stand on.

Recently, in an attempt to correct the social evils of wasteful expenditure on marriage and display of dowry as well as to lessen the burden of “What will people say?”, the West Pakistan Assembly adopted the West Pakistan Dowry (Prohibition on Display) Act of 1967.

The Act defines dowry as any property of valuable security given or agreed to be given in connection with the marriage, at the time of marriage or before or after the marriage of the said parties, by one party to the marriage to the other party (i.e. by the bridegroom to the bride and vice versa, and also by the husband to the wife and vice versa) or by the parents of either party to the marriage, to either party to the marriage or to anyone else, but does not include – (a) dower or mahr; or (b) any presents made at the time of the marriage to either party of the marriage in the form of cash, ornaments, clothes, or other articles, unless they are made in consideration for the marriage of the said parties.Contributor

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2018