The report of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice on the Hindu Marriage Bill 2016 was presented in the National Assembly yesterday and is just one step away from being approved as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is supporting it.
Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Ramesh Lal, one of the bill's movers, said it took around 10 months for the committee to clear the bill and another six months for its report to be presented in the house.
"The delay was possibly because of extraordinary debates and discussion around the bill, but at least now the government should consider tabling it in the house in the next session," Dawn online quoted Lal as saying.
According to the chairman of the committee, Chaudhry Bashir Virk: "All segments - including the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) - were consulted during the course of discussions in the committee."
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However, some members of the Hindu community have expressed strong reservations regarding some of the bill's contents including clause 12 on the 'Termination of Hindu marriage' and clause 15 on the 'Termination of Hindu marriage by mutual consent'.
The bill is expected to put an end to the practice of abduction of married Hindu women.
"There are penalties for violating the provisions of this act and anyone who kidnaps a married Hindu woman will be liable to punishments after this law is approved, because the victim's family will be able to show proof of marriage," Virk said.
Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have consented to the federal government formulating a Hindu marriage law that they would then adopt, while Sindh had formulated its own Hindu marriage registration law.
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