In a shocking and infuriating development, Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has outright rejected a bill aimed at criminalizing child marriages in Islamabad, branding it “un-Islamic.” This regressive stance is not just a blow to progress—it’s a brutal betrayal of millions of children trapped in one of the world’s most abusive practices, all under the guise of religion.
On May 27, after a meeting chaired by Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi, the CII declared that the recently passed National Assembly bill, which defines a child as anyone under 18 and prohibits marriage under that age, contradicts Islamic law. The bill, a hard-fought victory by Parliament, criminalizes the solemnization of child marriages, mandates age verification by marriage registrars, and prescribes jail terms and hefty fines for violators. It rightly recognizes that living in a marital relationship with a child under 18 constitutes statutory rape. Yet, the CII dismisses these protections, refusing to acknowledge the grave physical and psychological damage inflicted on minors.
This rejection by the CII is not just a bureaucratic disagreement—it’s an endorsement of child abuse. The council has effectively given a green light to the kidnapping, forced conversion, and rape of girls as young as 10, who are then married off under the pretext of Nikah. The horror stories are well documented: children snatched from their homes, coerced into conversion to Islam, and subjected to sexual violence while the courts frequently ignore evidence of their ages and hand them back to their abusers as “legal wives.” The CII’s declaration, therefore, isn’t merely an academic religious opinion; it is a direct obstacle to justice for victims.
The bill’s provisions are clear and overdue. It mandates that marriage registrars verify the age of both parties through their Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) issued by NADRA. It punishes registrars who violate the law with up to one year in prison and a fine, and offenders marrying underage girls face up to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The law criminalizes those who force children into marriage or traffic them for that purpose, with sentences of up to seven years and hefty fines. Parents or guardians complicit in child marriages face strict penalties as well.
Despite this, the CII claims these measures contradict “Islamic injunctions,” ignoring the overwhelming evidence that child marriage harms children’s health, education, and rights. The council also condemned mandatory pre-marriage thalassemia testing as “unnecessary complications,” showing utter disregard for basic health safeguards that could save lives.
It is deeply disturbing that this powerful religious body prioritizes rigid interpretations of Sharia over the well-being and dignity of children. Their stance emboldens the worst perpetrators of child abuse and effectively undermines the democratic process. The National Assembly’s standing committee failed to refer the bill to the CII for review before approval—a clear indication that elected representatives recognize the urgency and necessity of protecting children despite the council’s obstructive posture.
Christian socio-political leaders and child rights advocates have hailed the bill as a revolutionary step, especially critical for protecting minor Christian girls vulnerable to forced conversions and underage marriages. The legislation offers hope for an end to the exploitation driven by extremist elements misusing religion to trap innocent children in lives of violence and oppression.
Yet the battle is far from over. In Punjab, where the minimum marriage age for girls remains 16, and under the Christian Marriage (Amendment) Act 2024, protections exist only for Christians (with Muslim girls subject to sharia law allowing younger marriage), the crisis persists. Courts often side with kidnappers and abusers, while the CII’s rejection of the bill ensures that child marriage remains normalized and protected in large parts of the country.
This is not a religious debate—it is a matter of human rights and child protection. The CII’s stance is a cruel regression that protects abusers and condemns children to lives of suffering and lost potential. Pakistan’s government must reject this dangerous ideology and fully enforce laws that criminalize child marriage, ensure swift and severe punishment for offenders, and protect every child regardless of religion or gender.
The future of Pakistan depends on saving its children from violence, exploitation, and forced marriage—not sacrificing them to extremist and misogynistic traditions disguised as religion. The world is watching, and history will remember whether Pakistan chose to protect its most vulnerable or sided with the oppressors.