Child Marriage Bill
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), has announced a nationwide protest campaign against the recently proposed bill seeking to outlaw underage marriages in Pakistan.
Terming the legislation un-Islamic and contrary to the country’s religious foundations, Fazlur Rehman expressed strong opposition during a press conference in Peshawar, declaring that his party would not accept any law that, in his view, violates the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.
He alleged that a systematic effort was underway to dilute Pakistan’s Islamic identity. “We are living in an era of subjugation where external pressures from international bodies like the IMF and FATF are dictating our internal laws,” Fazl remarked. According to him, such legislation is not only unconstitutional but also an affront to the religious values the nation was founded upon.
“The condition for marriage in Islam is not based on a specific age but on physical maturity, or bulugh,” he said, emphasizing that Islamic jurisprudence does not fix a particular age threshold for marriage. He added that the Council of Islamic Ideology has already rejected the proposed bill, reinforcing the religious basis for his opposition. “No legislation that contradicts the Quran and Sunnah will ever be acceptable to us,” he stated firmly.
Fazlur Rehman also took a swipe at the country’s democratic system, accusing it of failing to safeguard its own jurisdiction. “Democracy has failed to protect itself, and now unconstitutional and anti-Islamic laws are being imposed under the guise of fulfilling international obligations,” he said.
He announced that a massive public gathering would be held in the Hazara Division on June 29, during which JUI-F would announce the next phase of its protest movement. The campaign, he stated, would mobilize religious and political forces across the country to resist the passage and implementation of the bill.
In addition to domestic issues, Fazl touched on geopolitical matters, warning against rising regional instability. He criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies, calling them dangerous and provocative. “Modi’s recklessness is escalating the threat of conflict in the region,” he said, adding that peace and stability in South Asia cannot be achieved without strong cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Fazl also criticized the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), asserting that their recent protests were not in defense of democracy but rather an attempt to shield themselves from corruption charges. “If Rs40 billion in corruption has occurred, it must be investigated through proper judicial channels rather than through political drama,” he concluded.
