The National Assembly of Pakistan [official website] on Monday approved a bill [PDF] that allows the Hindu community to legally register their marriages. Rights groups applauded [Times of India report] the passing of the Hindu marriage bill as it will lead to greater protection for female members of the minority Hindu community who will now be able to provide proof of marriage. The bill sets the minimum age for marriage for Hindus at 18. It also grants Hindus the right to divorce, with women having the additional right to do so on grounds of negligence, bigamy or having been married before the age of 18. In February the Pakistani province of Sindh became the first province to legalize Hindu marriage [JURIST report] under the marriage registry in the nation. The nation-wide bill will now proceed to the Senate for approval.

Pakistan has been under pressure to improve human rights conditions for years. Also in September Human Rights Watch released a report [JURIST report] that looks at the history of the Pakistani police and details occurrences of arbitrary arrest, torture, extra-judicial killings and sexual violence, especially among religious minorities that are especially vulnerable. Last week HRW called on Pakistani authorities to halt the execution of a mentally disabled man [JURIST report], saying “executing people with mental health conditions is an affront to decency and serves no criminal justice purpose.” Earlier this month a human rights lawyer was re-arrested in Kashmir [JURIST report] on the grounds of a controversial security law which allows the detention of suspects for up to six months without a trial.