The minority Hindu community in Pakistan will have to wait more before they can register their marriages as the lawmakers on Monday deferred till July 13 the final approval of the Islamic country's first Hindu marriage law.
The Hindus, who constitute 1.6% of Pakistan's total population, have been struggling to get a specific marriage law since the country was founded in 1947. Hindu marriages can not be legalized or registered in Pakistan in absence of such a law. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights headed by Chaudhry Muhammad Bashir Virk met in Islamabad to discuss and finalize a set of laws to formalize and facilitate registration of Hindu marriages.
The 2014 bill was jointly presented in the parliament last year by Ramesh Lal of opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Dr Darshan of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
A separate but similar government law known as 'The Hindu Marriage Bill, 2015' had been tabled in the parliament by law minister Pervaiz Rashid in March this year.
The two bills will establish rules and regulation for registration of marriage and di vorce for Pakistani Hindus, as currently in the absence of such a law, Hindus in the country do not even have a legal proof of marriage.
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