Lahore, Wednesday 23 July 2025; PODA representatives including Senior Legal Advisor Advocate Khawaja Zahid Nasim and the project coordinator Sohail Yousaf, met with the Punjab Law  Minister, Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth, at his office in Lahore to discuss the pressing issue of early-age marriages in the province.

During the meeting, the PODA team submitted a formal letter and a draft amendment signed by the organization’s Executive Director, advocating for a legislative change to raise the minimum legal age of marriage for girls in Punjab from 16 to 18 years. The submission emphasized the severe impact of child marriage on girls’ health, education, and socio-economic development.

The team briefed the Minister on PODA’s province-wide project “Reduce Early Marriages to Enhance Gender Equality” supported by the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad which is being across 41 districts. The project aims to prevent early marriages through collaborative efforts with government bodies, civil society organizations, communities, parliamentarians and alllbother stakeholders. The project focuses on safeguarding girls’ rights and advancing gender equality in rural and underserved communities.

In response, Minister Bherth acknowledged the urgency of the issue and issued immediate instructions to his staff to obtain a detailed report from the Law Secretariat. He expressed his commitment to reviewing and progressing the proposed amendment to the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act.