Pak Hindus want marriage law amended over ‘regressive’ clause

A Hindu lawmaker has sought an amendment to the recently adopted law on Hindu marriages in Pakistan’s Sindh province over a controversial clause that a marriage will be dissolved if either spouse changes religion.

The law was passed by Sindh provincial assembly on Monday, making the province the first in the country to allow the minority community to register their marriages.

This was after the National Assembly committee on law and justice last week approved the draft law on Hindu marriages, paving the way for registering marriages in Pakistan’s minuscule Hindu minority after decades of delay and inaction. It marked the first step to help over 3 million Pakistani Hindus, majority of them living in Sindh, to register their marriages. However, the clause about automatic dissolution of a Hindu marriage in case of a change of religion by either partner has drawn criticism with many describing it as a veiled effort to facilitate forced conversions, which has been a major issue faced by Hindus in Sindh.