The Balochistan Assembly approved a bill against child marriage by a majority vote, despite fierce protests by the opposition, which tore copies of the bill and staged a demonstration before the Speaker’s dais.
The session took place under the chairmanship of Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai. Bakht Muhammad Kakar, a government member, presented the bill on behalf of the treasury benches. The opposition denounced the bill as un-Islamic and drafted in haste. Opposition members used unparliamentary language and tore copies of the bill in protest.
Opposition Leader Younis Zehri said the bill was inappropriate and that the opposition would challenge it in court.
The House approved the bill by a majority vote despite loud protests. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said the government respected the opposition but that law-making remained a constitutional authority of the government.
