PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Sobia Shahid on Friday submitted ‘Pakhtunkhwa Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2024’ to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Secretariat.

She said the bill was aimed to make child marriage a cognisable offence, adding under the bill, whoever committed the offence would be punished with rigorous imprisonment, which might extend to three years with a minimum term of two years.

Ms Shahid said according to the Bill, a person below the age of 18 years would be considered a child and marrying a child would be an offence punishable under the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898.

She stressed that the purpose of the bill was to discourage child marriage in the province and make it a legally cognisable offence. “The passage of the bill will help protect children’s rights and promote social justice,” she added.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2024