KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly rejected on Tuesday all private bills, including The Sindh Compulsory Marriage Bill 2021 and The Sindh Prohibition of Private Money Lending Bill 2019, after the government opposed them.

Since it was a private members’ day, there were as many as 11 private bills and none could come up for legislation as nine of them were rejected by the house with majority votes, one was withdrawn and another one deferred.

It was, however, a calm and protest-free private members’ day in the assembly in the last many months with no unpleasant and chaotic scene, with members from both sides of the aisle somehow showing restraint for the reasons best known to them.

The Sindh Compulsory Marriage Bill, moved by Syed Abdul Rasheed of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, was aimed at making marriages compulsory for persons who attained the age of 18 years, while the Sindh Protection of Private Money Lending Bill was moved by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf member Saeed Ahmed Afridi.

Rejected bills include MMA lawmaker’s proposed law calling for compulsory marriage for 18-year-olds

Moving a motion to introduce the bill, the MMA MPA demanded that the same be referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology for further deliberations. He said that the private bill was in accordance with the Islamic injunctions and laws of the land.

He said that the provincial assembly had passed a law to restrain marriage of children under 18 which meant 18 years were fixed for solemnizing a marriage.

Abdul Rasheed thought that the bill would bring well-being in society, asking parents to ensure that their children who attained the age of 18 years should get married.

He said he wanted to know the reasons if the government was opposed to the bill.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mukesh Kumar Chawla, who opposed the bill, however, asked the MMA member to convince the house first in support of his stance.

The MMA MPA asked the minister to first tell the house why “you are opposing the bill”.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, after confirming the government’s opposition to the bill, moved the motion to the house that rejected the same with a majority of votes.

The house also rejected amendments suggested by Firdous Shamim Naqvi of the PTI to the Child Marriage Restraint Act. Moving a motion to introduce The Sindh Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the PTI member said that there was no explanation of punishment for parents who forced their children under 18 to get married.

Parliamentary Minister Chawla, opposing the bill, said the amendments suggested by Mr Naqvi were already part of the Child Marriage Restraint Act. He refuted Mr Naqvi’s claim and said that The Sindh Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act covered all aspects and the parents or guardians could be punished if they forced children under 18s to get married.

The house rejected The Sindh Differently Able Persons (Employment, Rehabilitation and Welfare) Amendment Bill, 2018 introduced by PTI’s Adeeba Hassan, and The Memon University Bill by PPP MPA Syed Aijaz Hussain.

Saeed Ahmed Afridi of the PTI tabled The Sindh Prohibition of Private Money Lending Bill, 2019 against the interest system, but Mr Chawla opposed it and maintained that the provincial government was going to bring a similar government bill after the budget session.

The PTI member said that a similar bill had been passed in the provincial assemblies of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The rejected bills included PTI lawmaker Adeeba Hassan’s The Sindh Differently Able Persons (Employment, Rehabilitation and Welfare) (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and The Sindh Child Protection Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2018; Khurram Sher Zaman’s The West Pakistan Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965 (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2019; and The Memon University Bill, 2019 moved by Syed Aijaz Hussain Shah Bukhari of the ruling PPP.

Tabled by Ghazala Sial of the PPP, The Sindh Prohibition of Dowry and Wasteful Expenses Bill, 2020 and PTI MPA Omar Omari’s The Sindh Student Union Bill, 2019 could not be moved in the house owing to their absence.

Rabia Azfar Nizami of the PTI withdrew her The Sindh Prohibition of Methamphetamine Bill, 2018, maintaining that similar sort of amendments were incorporated by the government in the Anti-Narcotics Bill. Moved by Arif Mustafa Jatoi, The Sindh Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was deferred as the matter was sub judice.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2021