AMRITSAR: The Punjab provincial govt of Pakistan approved the Punjab Hindu Marriage Act Registration Rules 2024. As a result, Hindus in Punjab (Pakistan) can now officially register their marriages under their own legal framework, ensuring greater recognition and protection of their marital rights.
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Ramesh Singh Arora, the first Sikh Minister for Minority Affairs in Pakistan's Punjab province, informed TOI on that the Punjab Cabinet, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, held a meeting and approved the Punjab Hindu Marriage Act Registration Rules 2024. This makes Punjab the only province in Pakistan where both Sikhs and Hindus now have their own distinct marriage acts.
"Not only have we fulfilled our promise, but this will also instill confidence among the Hindu population of Punjab, giving them the freedom to register their marriages under their own act and ensuring legal protection," he said.
Ramesh informed that the Hindu Marriage Act was approved in Pakistan's Punjab province in 2017, but its rules were not framed until now, which delayed its implementation. “For nearly five years under the Imran Khan govt, the rules were not framed. However, we expedited the process, and not only are the rules for the Sikh marriage act formed, but the rules for the Hindu marriage act are also finalised. Both of these acts have now become a reality,” he said.
Notably, the Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Registrar and Marriage Rules 2024 was approved by the Pak Punjab assembly on June 26, 2024, following which Sikhs living in the Punjab province of Pakistan were able to register their marriages under the Act.
Previously, the marriages of Sikhs and Hindus were not registered with any govt office. Instead, they were recorded in gurdwaras or Hindu temples, with the marriage ceremony taking place in the presence of a gurdwara granthi or a pandit in Hindu temples.
The details of the marriage were then entered into their respective registers, and a certificate was issued on plain paper. This certificate was used for various purposes, such as obtaining passports, and identity cards, and for submission to relevant departments.
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