ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the registration of Christian marriages, ARY News reported.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar announced the judgment in Islamabad earlier today.
The court directed all the union councils to ensure registration Christian marriages and ordered the National Database Regulatory Authority (Nadra) to issue them a computerised marriage certificate apart from directing the Punjab government to enact a proper legislation in this regard.
Last year in September, the bench reserved the verdict after lawyers representing the petitioners and respondents concluded their arguments. During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that the person who registered marriages of Muslims should also register marriages of Christians.
A representative of the Christian community regretted that the union councils were the competent authority to register births, deaths and marriages but they refused to register marriages of Christian community members.
The bench observed that a union council official could be assigned with the duty of registration of marriages.
“The government should facilitate the masses,” the chief justice observed. “The court will have its verdict implemented in letter and spirit.”
