ASHGABAT: Reclusive Turkmenistan appeared to be cracking down on polygamous relationships on Tues­day, with the parliament issuing new legislation agai­nst the practice in the majority-Muslim ex-Soviet republic.

Polygamy is already formally banned and punishable by up to two years of corrective labour in ex-Soviet Turkmenistan.

But nevertheless it has a degree of social acceptability and was traditionally pra­c­tised before the Soviet era.

A new amendment to the family code passed by parliament and published in the state newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan on Tuesday seemed aimed at clearing up any ambiguity.

It stated that polygamy “refers to cohabitation with two or more women at the same time” and stressed that this was “not permitted” in the republic.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....