• Heated debate ensues after lawmakers not provided copies of Child Marriage Restraint bill
• Azma protests suggestion under-18s be allowed to marry ‘with court permission’
• Minister opposes amendment seeking to void marriages consummated after abduction or forced conversion

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 with a majority vote, without incorporating an amendment seeking the annulment by a court of a child marriage consummated after abduction and/or forced conversion of the victim.

A heated debate erupted in the house after lawmakers were asked to pass the key bill without being provided copies, prompting strong objections from Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who termed the situation “unprecedented” and demanded transparency in the legislative process.

Raising the issue on the house floor, Ms Bokhari said it was the first time members had been seated in the assembly without receiving copies of a bill under consideration. She stressed that it was essential for all lawmakers to be fully informed before any legislation is passed.

Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan subsequently directed that copies of the bill be immediately distributed among members.

The controversy arose during deliberations on the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026, which was later passed by a majority vote. The bill, presented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, sought to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 years.

Ms Bokhari expressed concern that she had neither received the bill, nor been informed of its amend­­ments. She argued that both mental and physical maturity should be considered before marriage and emphasised the need for proper documentation, such as national identity cards or birth certificates, to verify age.

During the debate, ruling party member Zulfiqar Ali Shah suggested that individuals under 18 should be allowed to marry with court permission, a proposal that triggered strong protest from Ms Bokhari.

Mr Shah also urged lawmakers not to place legislation above societal values and raised concerns about moral implications if early marriages were entirely rest­ricted.

Ms Bokhari countered by highlighting the risks faced by young girls, stating that many are married off without understanding the consequences. She criticised practices where girls are used to settle disputes and questioned whether women should continue to bear the burden of societal injustices.

Referring to legal precedents, she noted that the Federal Shariat Court had encouraged similar legislation passed by the Sindh Assembly.

Following extensive debate by both treasury and opposition members, the bill was approved with a majority vote, marking a significant step toward curbing child marriages in Punjab.

The House also passed an amendment to the bill, making the best interests of the child a primary consideration in all actions under the law — from investigation and prosecution to bail, sentencing, and protective custody.

Moved by MPA Ijaz Augustine and co-signed by 13 members from both treasury and opposition benches, the amendment marks a rare moment of cross-party consensus on child protection.

The amendment provides that no child shall be treated as an offender merely for being a contracting party to a child marriage, and that a child’s statement or purported consent to reside with the adult contracting party shall not be determinative of where the child has been taken, enticed, coerced, or trafficked.

It further clarifies that the voluntary consent of a person below 18 shall not, by itself, oust the protective jurisdiction of the court — a provision long sought by child rights advocates, who have highlighted how findings of “willing” consent often undermine trafficking and abduction prosecutions.

However, another important amendment — which sought to allow courts to declare void a marriage consummated after the abduction of an underage child — was not adopted, as its movers, including Tariq Masih and Ayesha Javed, withdrew the motion after opposition from Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2026