President Asif Ali Zardari has signed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, officially enacting it into law and setting the minimum legal age for marriage at 18 for both boys and girls across Pakistan.

The new legislation prohibits any Nikah khuwan from solemnizing a marriage if either party is underage. Violators could face up to one year in jail and a fine of Rs. 100,000. The law goes further, stipulating that any adult man who marries a girl under 18 may be sentenced to up to three years of rigorous imprisonment.

Courts have been empowered to take swift action upon receiving information about a possible underage marriage. They can issue orders to halt such marriages and are required to keep the informant’s identity confidential, ensuring their protection.

The bill was originally introduced in the National Assembly by PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui and later tabled in the Senate by Senator Sherry Rehman. Despite strong opposition from the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII)—which declared the bill “un-Islamic” in an official statement—the law has now come into effect, marking a significant legal milestone in Pakistan’s efforts to end child marriage.