ISLAMABAD – A petition challenging the recently introduced Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 that prohibits the marriage of boys and girls under the age of 18 has been filed in the Federal Shariat Court.
The petition was submitted by a citizen, Shehzada Adnan, through his legal counsel Advocate Mudassar Chaudhry. The petitioner argued that the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2025 is contrary to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah and therefore unconstitutional.
The petitioner said that the law imposes a punishment of rigorous imprisonment, which the petitioner claims is also against Islamic injunctions and the Constitution.
The plea further states that the legislation violates religious principles by setting an arbitrary minimum age for marriage without considering guidelines from Islamic jurisprudence.
The petitioner cited Quranic verses in support of his stance and requested the court to annul the law. He also urged the court to restrain the state from registering cases under this legislation until the matter is adjudicated.
The court is expected to take up the matter in due course, as the debate over child marriage laws continues to stir legal and religious discourse in the country.
Earlier, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman rejected the recently enacted Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025, announcing nationwide protest rallies aimed at “creating awareness” among the public.
The bill, which sought to protect the rights of children and eventually eradicate marriages of children under the age of 18 in Islamabad, was signed into law by the president on May 27 after sailing through both houses of parliament.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the JUI-F chief rejected the law, alleging that it “made fornication easier while making legitimate marriages difficult”.
“Pakistan is a strange country — during the time of General Musharraf, a constitutional amendment was passed in the name of women’s rights that decriminalised fornication,” Fazl said.
“It took it out of the realm of sin.
Rumors of Aiman Khan expects third child spark after public appearance
