THE CII’s commitment to stalling pro-women legislation with conservative interpretations of religion and tradition is widely known. The Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, passed by the National Assembly and the Senate, has now been shot down by the council as “un-Islamic”; it fixes the minimum age for marriage at 18 years. In addition, the Child Marriage Restraining Bill draft by the KP government was termed a violation of Islamic principles, while thalassaemia screening before marriage was declared optional for both sides and not compulsory. It is perplexing to witness our parliamentarians enable such regressive views, apparently to foster male control.

Over time, it has become as clear as day that protecting women and girls cannot depend on the whims of such patriarchal groups that have repeatedly obstructed progressive regulations. From formulating a women’s protection bill that permitted a husband to beat his wife “when needed”, opposing a minimum age for marriage to stating that DNA evidence holds secondary value in rape cases, it has not just defied all understanding, reason, science and basic human freedoms, but flouted Pakistan’s commitments under international law. The political leadership needs to adopt a more modern and assured stance for national progress. Pakistan’s human rights predicaments will be resolved when the public compels its leadership to transform lives. In a country where women are wedged between custom and obligation, educated influential religious leaders ought to take charge of the manner in which scripture is interpreted, and the parliament has to stop marching backwards. The legislature is obligated by the Constitution to legislate in line with Islamic injunctions. It is time to reconsider the role played by the CII as the way it vets bills, and waters them down, is taking us back in time instead of marching forward.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2025