Karachi, Mar. 10 (ANI): More than 20 Hindu couples in Pakistan got married at a mass wedding ceremony, arranged by Pakistan Hindu Council amidst apprehension, due to lack of law for registration of Hindu weddings in the country.
A bill was tabled on the floor of National Assembly in 2011 pertaining to the registration of Hindu marriages, but no subsequent development ensued, reports the Daily Times.
Pakistan Hindu Sabah president Dhanomal Maharaj said that the National Database Regularity Authority (NADRA) has devised a mechanism for registration of Hindu couples' marriages for issuance of computerized national identity card and other documents but the issues of divorce, spouses' rights, heirs and inheritance are yet to be resolved.
The issue of Hindu marriage registration surfaced when flood-affected Hindu families, from interior Sindh approached NADRA for Benazir Income Support Programme and were asked for marital certificate, Maharaj said.
As a countrywide campaign for registration of Hindu weddings began, NADRA directed the flood victims to sign a Performa following the pattern of the marital certificate and submit at the NADRA office of their local union council, Maharaj added.
Although the attested Performa resolved the registration and CNIC issue temporarily, the question of married Hindu women's future was still a nightmare.
A large number of Hindus, belonging to different castes have been facing problems due to absence of proper legislation. Many women were unable to have due rights let alone their rightful share in their husband's property.
Extreme poverty has pushed many Hindu families particularly in interior Sindh to opt for combined marriages. This year the PHC council arranged wedding ceremony and dowry for 22 couples.
PHC Patron in chief Dr Ramesh Kumar said combined marriages had become a social custom. (ANI)
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