The Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development approved the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 on 13 April, despite reservations expressed by some members, including the committee’s chairperson, PML-N MPA Pir Ashraf Rasool.
The bill sets 18 years as the minimum legal age for marriage for both boys and girls in Punjab. Previously, under the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, the legal age was 18 for men and 16 for women. In February 2026, Punjab Governor Saleem Haider had already promulgated an ordinance establishing the same minimum age for both genders.
Following approval by the standing committee, the bill will now be presented to the Punjab Assembly for final passage.
The proposed legislation seeks to curb underage marriages, eliminate gender-based discrimination, and strengthen child protection laws across the province. Religious minority communities have cautiously welcomed the bill, expressing hope that it will help reduce incidents of forced conversion and forced marriage among Christian and Hindu girls.
The kidnapping, forced conversion, and forced marriage of Christian girls—many of them minors—remain major concerns for non-Muslim citizens. Minorities and human rights organisations have consistently raised their voices against these abuses affecting a highly marginalised community.
Minority Concern, a minority rights organisation, described the bill as a step in the right direction. However, it cautioned that even if the bill becomes law, effective implementation may take time, as the issue involves not only legal dimensions but also deep-rooted religious and cultural factors.
According to human rights groups, nearly 1,000 Christian and Hindu women and girls—many of them minors—fall victim each year to forced conversions and marriages.
A recent judgment by the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) intensified the issue, prompting nationwide protests among Christians. On 25 March, the court validated the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl, Marian, to a 30-year-old Muslim man.
Christian leaders, including church authorities, strongly rejected the verdict, warning that it could set a precedent for similar cases and leave Christian girls living in fear of forced marriages to their abductors.
A recent report titled Captive Souls, issued by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, documented several such cases. “The first critical step toward addressing this grave issue must be the government's formal acknowledgment that these practices exist,” said Naeem Yousaf Gill, Executive Director of NCJP.
On the same day the Punjab bill was approved, members of the Christian community and civil society activists staged a protest at the grounds of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Karachi. Catholic Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi said the Christian community was deeply disturbed by the ruling. He added that the large turnout reflected widespread unease and called for an immediate review of the decision.
Some other Christian voices have also expressed caution regarding the new bill. “Therefore, the bill should not be passed in haste,” said Sarfraz Clement, a Christian politician, suggesting that further deliberation is needed.
After weeks of nationwide protests over the controversial court ruling, Christian parliamentarian Phalbous Christopher — a Member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Minority Affairs and Human Rights — introduced a separate bill on 9 April in the Punjab Assembly aimed at protecting Christian women, particularly minor girls who have long been vulnerable to abuse. The bill seeks to reform Christian marriage laws by proposing amendments to the colonial-era Christian Marriage Act of 1872, which has remained in force for over 150 years.
The issue carries particular significance in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, which is home to approximately 80 percent of the country’s Christian population. Catholic priest Fr. Khalid Rashid Asi emphasised that church leaders and theologians should be consulted on matters relating to the marriage of Christian girls.
Senior Christian lawyer Lazar Alla Rakha Advocate also stressed the importance of inclusive consultation, noting that engaging all stakeholders—especially church representatives—would enhance the legitimacy of any legislation.
Currently, Sindh, Balochistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory have already set the minimum marriage age at 18 for girls, while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—governed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party—the minimum age remains 16.