The defence counsel for Syed Ali Azhar, 44, under the provisions of the Majority Act, 1875, while Arzoo was considered a minor, there was no bar on the marriage of a minor. He further stated that Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961, provided the right that any citizen could contract marriage upon attaining puberty. The lawyer further stated that the precedents of the Federal and Shariah laws superseded the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act (SCMRA), 2013, which was a provincial law. During earlier hearings, Arzoo stated she had embraced Islam out of her free choice and had solemnised a free-will marriage with Azhar “without any fear or pressure”. During the hearing, the prosecutor in the case informed the court that the case in question was not of abduction but of underage marriage.

Source: Pakistan Today November 27, 2020 19:26 UTC