Rights activists, civil society deplore JUI-F’s opposition to Child Marriage Restraint Act

2026-01-28 - 23:51

Child rights activists, members of civil society and representatives of various organizations working for the rights, wellbeing, health and education of children have expressed deep shock and anguish over the recent statements made by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Ameer, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his spokesperson, another senior leader of the JUI-F Hafiz Hamdullah, about child marriage. Both of them sparked intense national debate recently by publicly opposing the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 which sets the minimum legal age for marriage at 18. Maulana Fazl in his speech delivered on the floor of the house not only termed the legislation “un-Islamic” and contrary to Shariah but also challenged the government to stop him from administering ‘nikah’ or wedlock of underage boys and girls. Chairperson of Pakistan Development Alliance (PDA) Ziaur Rehman, in a statement expressed his shock over the level of insensitivity displayed by the JUI-F members of the Parliament. This kind of behaviour, he said, is deeply offensive, derogatory, and poses a serious threat to the safety, childhood, health and wellbeing of children and young people in Pakistan. Such offensive statements at the floor of the house from political leaders of their caliber are unfortunate, deplorable, rather highly condemnable. The PDA member organizations of the PDA have also expressed serious concerns over the JUI-F leadership’s remarks. Ziaur Rehman also deplored silence of other members of our Parliament on the remarks and held that it also showed the narrow mindedness of our political fraternity at large. His statement is clear violation of the Constitution of Pakistan that defines the age of a child up to 14 years, he explained. National Coordinator of the Child Rights Movement (CRM), Ms. Mehwish Kayani, also expressed concerns over the remarks by the JUI-F leadership and said in a statement: “When influential voices publicly legitimize child marriage, the harm extends far beyond a single statement—it weakens child protection norms, discourages reporting, and normalizes silence around abuse,” she said. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the United Global Organization of Development (UGOOD), Syed Ishtiaq Gilani, also deplored the remarks and emphasized the broader developmental consequences, stating: “Child marriage is not only a violation of law—it is a development failure. It robs children of education, health, and future participation in society, and places a lifelong burden on public systems.,” he said in a statement. The Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 repeals the outdated Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 specifically for the Islamabad Capital Territory. The law aligns with a 2023 Federal Shariat Court ruling that confirmed setting the minimum marriage age at 18 is not against Islamic injunctions. Following the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, Islamabad is only the second region in Pakistan to mandate 18 as the minimum age for girls while in other provinces, it typically remains 16.