Punjab Assembly minority caucus reviews Christian Marriage Bill

Tue, September 08, 2026

A proposed law to replace the 154-year-old Christian Marriage Act of 1872 and set 18 years as the minimum age for marriage, for both men and women, came under detailed review at a meeting of the Parliamentary Minority Caucus held at the Punjab Assembly here on Thursday.

The meeting, presided over by the caucus convener, MPA Falbous Christopher, deliberated on the proposed Punjab Christian Marriage Bill 2026, which aims to modernise and strengthen the legal framework governing Christian marriages in Punjab.

The session was attended by minority members of the Punjab Assembly, including Emmanuel Ather, Shakeela Javed, Waseem Anjum, Maria Talal and Basroo Jee, along with Punjab Chief Coordinator for Minorities Affairs Raheela Khadim Hussain, Chief Whip Rana Muhammad Arshad, Awais Dreshak, Attiya Iftikhar, Qudsia Batool, Samreen Taj and Advisor to the Punjab Assembly speaker, Usama Khawar Ghumman.

Prominent church leaders and representatives of various Christian denominations also participated in the discussions, including Archbishop Dr Azad Marshall, Archbishop Khalid Rehmat OFM Cap, Fr James Channan, Bishop Abraham Azeem Daniel, Samuel Payara, Romana Bashir, Rev Azhar Mushtaq and Katherine Sapna, alongside legal experts and community representatives.

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