Lahore, Monday, 27 April 2026: A delegation of prominent women leaders representing various districts of Punjab and representing PODA Rural Women Network Pakistan attended the historic session of Punjab Assembly in Lahore on 27 April 2027 that approved ” Child Marriage Restraint Act, Punjab 2026″ that approved 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage for girls in the Punjab province”. This law already has already been passed in Sindh (2013), ICT 2024 and Balochistan (2025).
Ms. Sameena Nazir, Executive Director PODA appreciated the leadership of Speaker of Punjab Assembly and efforts of women MPAs who strongly supported it especially MPA Ishrat Ashraf (Chair, Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, Punjab), MPA Azma Bukhari, MPA Sarah Ahmad, Uzma Kardar, MPA Rushda Lodhi, MPA Safia Saeed, MPA Saadia Temur, Sunbul Abdul Maalik, Kanwal Liaqat, and many others who, under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif took this historic step to protect the rights of the girl child in the Punjab province. Ms. Sameena Nazir, Executive Director of PODA Pakistan said “this landmark legislation would enable millions of girls to pursue higher education, develop confidence and skills and build stronger, more secure foundations for their future families.
The delegation of PODA Rural Women Leadership Alliance included Bismillah Iram, president of Roshan Rahien (Khanewal); Irshad Safdar, president of Ittehad Foundation (Kasur); Mehwish Majeed school teacher from (Layyah); Nasreen Anwar women rights leader and politicians from Bahawalpur; Shamim Akhtar, human rights activist (Lahore); and Nabeela Aslam, gender specialist PODA who led the three-year project “Reduce Early Marriages to Enhance Gender Equality”, supported by the Norwegian Embassy, Islamabad. This project was implemented across 41 districts of Punjab and reached over 45,000 women and stakeholders and played a vital role in creating an enabling environment for the amendment to set 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage for girls, aligning it with the existing legal age of marriage for boys. Assembly who In a conciliatory and balanced manner, Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan steered the legislative process with dignified skills and successfully secured the passage of the Act, despite opposition from some male Members of PML-N and PTI. Most PML- N male politicians and all women members supported adoption of this law. MPA Nagis Shehzadi from PPP assured full support of PPP for this law in Punjab. Majority members of Punjab Assembly strongly supported the demand to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls from 16 to 18 years and the new Child Marriage Restraint Act, Punjab 2026, marking a significant step toward gender equality and the protection of children’s rights.
This legislative milestone is also in line with Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender and guarantees equality of all citizens before the law.
