ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Thursday recommended that both national and provincial governments establish a uniform legal marriage age of 18 years for both men and women.

A meeting of the Committee on Gender of Mainstreaming, held here, observed that this change will help reduce health risks associated with early marriage, promote gender equality, and enhance educational and economic opportunities for young women.

According to a statement issued here, chairperson of the committee Dr Nafisa Shah commended the passing of Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025, referring to it as a milestone.

Reporting on progress in the provinces the Secretary Human Rights Abdul Khalique Shaikh, briefed that Punjab had constituted a committee to review the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, the government of Balochistan reported that the bill had been approved by the Cabinet and was currently pending, while the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stated that the bill had been forwarded to the Council of Islamic Ideology for comments and all provincial governments had been urged to expedite the legislative process.

The Committee also expressed concern about Pakistan’s ranking on the Global Gender Gap Index at 148 and called upon the government to notify a cabinet committee on gender mainstreaming that would take practical steps towards gender parity.

The committee urged that Pakistan’s low ranking in the gender parity index can be attributed to its weak performance in economic participation and opportunities for women, as well as the persistent under-representation of women in politics and decision-making roles, both of which significantly hinder progress toward achieving gender equality.

The acting chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) informed the committee that the NCSW had conducted extensive consultations with parliamentarians, youth groups, civil society organisations, and legal experts regarding Child Marriage Restraint Act. She reiterated the commission’s support for setting 18 years as the minimum legal age for marriage.

Further the National Dialogue on Gender Gap had been conducted on June 26, 2025, by NCSW, and one of the key recommendations from the dialogue was the establishment of a National Task Force on Gender Data Synchronisation.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025