The Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on December 9, calling upon the government to fix a uniform legal age of marriage of 18 years for both girls and boys across Pakistan, reaffirming Sindh’s leadership in protecting children’s rights and ending child marriage nationwide.
The resolution welcomed the assent of President Asif Ali Zardari to the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, for the Islamabad Capital Territory, which declares 18 years as the minimum legal age for marriage.
The resolution also applauded the Balochistan Assembly for passing the Child Marriage Prohibition Bill, 2025, setting the same standard across the province and criminalising child marriage.
The resolution proudly recalled that Sindh was the first province to enact such legislation through the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013, reflecting its long-standing commitment to protecting the dignity, welfare and future of children, especially girls.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Maleeha Manzoor, who moved the resolution, lauded the PPP leadership for spearheading these historic reforms across Pakistan. “Under the leadership of the PPP, landmark child marriage laws have now been enacted in Sindh, at the federal level and in Balochistan, paving the way for nationwide legal harmonisation.”
Highlighting Pakistan’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the resolution emphasised the urgent need for legal uniformity across provinces to ensure equal protection for every child in the country.
“A child remains a child regardless of province or region, and uniform legislation is not just a legal necessity, it is a moral and constitutional responsibility as well.”
The House reaffirmed that harmonising child marriage laws nationwide is essential to uphold Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees and strengthen international commitments, and urged the remaining provinces to enact the much-needed reforms to ensure the physical and mental well-being of every child.
Published in The NEWS on December 10, 2025.