President Zardari ratifies Christian Marriage Amendment Act, raises marriage age to 18

President Asif Ali Zardari has ratified the Christian Marriage Amendment Act 2024, increasing the minimum age of marriage within the Christian community to 18 years.

According to Dawn News, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik and representatives of the Christian community participated in a ceremony held at the President’s House to mark the occasion.

During the ceremony, the President welcomed members of the Christian community to the President’s House, emphasizing their equal status as Pakistanis.

Previously, the minimum marriage age in the Christian community was 16 years for men and 13 years for women. With the amendment of the Christian Marriage Amendment Act 2024, the minimum marriage age has been uniformly set to 18 years.

The President expressed his intention to increase quotas for minorities in government jobs, including the police force.

He also addressed broader societal issues, stating, “Challenges exist everywhere, and we must resolve them collectively. Extremism and sectarianism have no place in our society.”