2024-05-09 00:00:26
Lahore: Police in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan have arrested a 70-year-old man for marrying a 13-year-old girl. According to ARY News report, this act was considered illegal and extremely worrying. According to reports, the minor girl was married to an elderly man by her father. On receiving this information, Swat police immediately intervened and arrested both the 70-year-old groom and the father of the 13-year-old minor girl.
Police also caught the witnesses and the operator
Along with this, the police also took the wedding ceremony organizer and witnesses into custody. Meanwhile, the minor bride underwent medical examination at a local hospital, according to ARY News. This worrying incident underlines the persistent challenge of child marriage in Pakistan, which not only violates the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, but also poses a serious threat to the well-being of young girls.
what does pakistani law say
Under Pakistan’s current law, the old Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 sets the minimum age of marriage at 16 years for girls and 18 years for boys. However, efforts to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 have faced resistance from Islamic conservative groups, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, hindering progress toward protecting the rights of vulnerable minors.