Govt takes important step to stop underage marriages

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has taken an important step to stop underage marriages in the country, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony constituted a high-level committee comprising experts and clerics following the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Sources told ARY News that the committee will be headed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Qibla Ayaz while its members included notable clerics and experts from different schools of thought.

The committee will mull over determining the minimum age for marriage and steps to curb underage marriages. The committee will forward its recommendations to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony which will send them to the federal cabinet for its approval.

The high-level committee will review the nikahnama and prepare important recommendations regarding the Haq Mahr (husband’s gift to his wife at the time of marriage), amount of money and other relevant matters.