LAHORE – Punjab Assembly on Wednesday adopted a bill with the majorityvote, for the first time, to regularise the marriages of couples belong tothe Sikh community.
The provincial assembly, in its 34th session, passed the bill, ‘PunjabAnand Karaj Bill’ which was tabled by the only Sikh MPA from Punjab RameshSingh Arora in October last year.
The said resolution after becoming an act would help Sikh community toregister their marriages and dissolutions at the Union Council (UC) level.
Arora said that it would be a historic moment for the people of Punjab whenthe bill would be passed in the house as the country would get globalrecognition because it would be the first of its kind legislation in thewhole world.
“Although it is a Private Member Bill, I have the support of my party, thePakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and I am quite sure that no one fromthe opposition benches would oppose it keeping in view the importance ofthe bill,” Arora said while expressing confidence that the bill would bepassed unanimously.
Last year in March, President Mamnoon Hussain gave his formal assent to theHindu Marriage Bill 2017, already passed by both the houses of parliament,aimed at protecting the marriages and the family and safeguarding thelegitimate rights and interests of the Hindu families living in Pakistan.
The Hindu marriage bill — the first personal law at the federal level toregulate the marriages of Hindus — will help Hindu women to get documentaryproof of their marriage. The bill has now become an act of parliament afterits signing by the president.