Pakistan bill to allow Hindus to regulate their own marriages becomes law News
Pakistan bill to allow Hindus to regulate their own marriages becomes law

[JURIST] Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain [BBC profile] signed into law the Hindu Marriage Bill 2017 on Sunday, allowing Pakistan’s Hindus to regulate their own marriages. Hindus will be able to perform legal marriages in accordance with their religious customs. According to the law, marriages officiated [PTI report] before the passage of the law will be automatically legitimized. According to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the new law was passed to provide equal protection to Pakistan’s Hindus. The law will apply to all of Pakistan’s Hindus, except those living in the Sindh providence, which already has a law regarding Hindu marriages.

Religion in Pakistan is a highly controversial issue. On Tuesday, Sharif stated [JURIST report] that blasphemy on social media must be punished. At the beginning of the month, the cabinet approved [JURIST report] historic reforms to tribal regions. In February the court prohibited [JURIST report] Valentine’s Day celebrations.

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