Lahore: The Cabinet Standing Committee on Legal Affairs, led by Provincial Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, held a meeting to discuss and approve a significant amendment to raise the minimum marriage age for girls to 18 years.
Provincial Ministers Uzma Bukhari, Suhaib Bhatti, and Zeeshan Rafiq, along with Sarah Ahmed, Chairperson of the Child Protection Bureau and Member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly, were present at the meeting.
The committee approved the amendment to the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, increasing the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 years. The Secretary of Local Government presented this proposed constitutional amendment.
During the meeting, Chairperson Sarah Ahmed emphasized the importance of the amendment. The Standing Committee on Legal Affairs formally approved the change.
With this approval, the amendment will be presented to the Punjab Assembly for final endorsement. Chairperson Sarah Ahmed expressed her gratitude for the Chief Minister of Punjab's support in this initiative.
The Lahore High Court had previously issued orders to revise the minimum age limit for girls in the Child Marriage Act. Chairperson Sarah Ahmed noted that setting the minimum marriage age at 18 years will help secure the future of girls.
