Islamabad : The Islamabad administration has announced the rules for the Hindu Marriage Act 2017 after more than five years since its approval.
The move allows the Hindu minority community in Pakistan to marry according to their religious customs.
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The notification, named ‘Islamabad Capital Territory Hindu Marriage Rules 2023,’ will permit the implementation of the marriage act in the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan as well.
The notification has been forwarded to all union councils of the federal territory for execution. As per the rules, the relevant UCs in Islamabad will register a ‘Maharaj’ to officiate the weddings.
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The individual must be a Hindu male with adequate knowledge of Hinduism, and a character certificate from the local police and written approval of at least ten members of the Hindu community is mandatory.
The UCs will issue a ‘Shaadi Pert’ (marriage certificate) to the ‘Maharaj’ 
who would be registered with the relevant UC, similar to the case of the “registered nikah-khawan” for Muslims.
The marriage will be recorded at the union councils. The appointed ‘Maharaj’ would not receive any payment for conducting the marriage except for the government-mandated fees.
In case of the death or cancellation of a ‘Maharaj’s’ license, the marriage record kept by him would be submitted to the relevant UCs and given to his successor.
Section 7 of the rules relates to the termination of marriages and remarriages. 
The rules allow Hindus living in Islamabad to approach courts under the West Pakistan Family Courts Act 1964 in case of marriage disputes. Mehfooz Piracha, the district attorney for ICT, who drafted the rules, termed the notification “a significant step” in protecting the minority community’s rights. Piracha added that the provinces could also adopt these laws now.
The National Lobbying Delegation for Minority Rights group pushed for the approval of the Hindu Marriage Rules. Jai Parkash, a member of the group, emphasized the importance of implementing this law retrospectively for the Hindu community permanently settled in Islamabad
