ISLAMABAD: Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari says that the government is drawing up a new Christian divorce bill which will be tabled before the National Assembly.
Talking to a delegation of representatives of Christian and Hindu communities in Islamabad today, she said the government is committed to ensure implementation of Hindu marriage and divorce laws.
The Minister said that she shocked to learn the Hindu marriage/divorce laws still not being implemented.
In October 2017, the Ministry of Human Rights had decided to forward the Christian Marriage and Divorce Bill 2017 to the law ministry for vetting.
Then Human Rights Minister Mumtaz Ahmed Tarar had met a delegation of Hindu and Christian community representatives. Meeting participants unanimously agreed that the Christian Divorce Act 1869 and the Christian Marriage Act 1870 need to be amended and upgraded.
Particupants had pointed out that there were various lacunae in the 1870 act, including a provision that said a marriage could only be solemnised before sunset, as well as other issues that had become redundant with time. The draft also raised the marriageable age for the bride and groom from 16 to 18 years.
Last month, Dr Shireen Mazari had also slammed the Human Rights Watch (HRW) for writing to Prime Minister Imran Khan and asking him to address “serious human rights challenges” faced by Pakistan.
In a letter in last week of August, HRW Asia Director Brad Adams had asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to make human rights a “key focus” of his government.
The letter urged the government to begin by reversing “abusive laws and policies” and demonstrating “genuine commitment to the rule of law and equal justice”.
The HRW wants the government to focus on six key areas: “These are freedom of expression and attacks on civil society; freedom of religion and belief; violence against women and girls; access to education; restoring moratorium on death penalty; and terrorism and counter-terrorism abuses.”
In response to the letter, Dr Mazari stated that “the prime minister and the government are committed to ensuring the human rights guaranteed to all Pakistani citizens under the Constitution.”
The human rights minister said the government, therefore, does “not need to be informed or reminded of our human rights agenda.”
