Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2025

Exact source transcription retained, including print layout and extraction artifacts. Text SHA-256: f0d24652cbd1da86dff19c9c4c7c1bebf70555c8d82edce13afdd6d409794441.

Page 1 of 5  
  
  
 
THE ISLAMABAD CAPITAL TERRITORY CHILD MARRIAGE  
RESTRAINT ACT, 2025  
  
CONTENTS  
1. Short title, extend and commencement  
2. Definitions  
3. Registration of child marriages  
4. Punishment for male adult above eighteen years of age marrying a Child  
5. Punishment of Child Abuse  
6. Punishment of Child Trafficking  
7. Punishment for parent or guardian concerned in a child marriage  
8. Jurisdiction under this Act  
9. Power to issue injunction prohibiting marriage in contravention of this Act  
10. Offence to be punishable and triable  
11. Cognizance, trial and conclusion of the case  
12. Power to make Rules  
13. Repeal and Savings  
    

 
Page 2 of 5  
  
THE ISLAMABAD CAPITAL TERRITORY CHILD MARRIAGE 
RESTRAINT ACT, 2025  
ACT NO. XI OF 2025  
[29th May, 2025]  
An Act to restrain the solemnization of child marriages in the Islamabad Capital Territory  
WHEREAS it is expedient to restrain the solemnization of child marriages in the Islamabad  
Capital Territory;  
It is hereby enacted as follows:__  
1. Short title, extend and commencement.__ (1) This Act may be called the Islamabad Capital 
Territory Child Marriage Restraint 1[Act], 2025.  
(2) It shall extend to the Islamabad Capital Territory.  
(3) It shall come into force at once.  
2. Definitions.__ In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context.__  
(a) “child” means a person male or female who is under eighteen years of age;  
(b) “child abuse” means as defined under the Islamabad Capital Territory Child 
Protection Act, 2018, and shall also include the marriage of a child or 
solemnization of marriage of a child with any person over the age of eighteen 
years or with another child;  
(c) “child bride” means the female child who has not attained the age of eighteen 
years;  
(d) “child groom” means the male child who has not attained the age of eighteen 
years;  
(e) “child marriage” means an act of solemnizing marriage or Nikah where both or 
either of the contracting party to the marriage is a child;  
(f) “Code” means the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (No. V of 1898);  
(g) “contracting party” to marriage means either of the party whose marriage is, or 
is about to be solemnized;  
(h) “Court” means the Court of a District & Sessions Judge;  
 
1The original word was ‘Bill’ which later on corrected via corrigenda issued on date  22-08-2025 
 
Page 3 of 5  
  
(i) “Guardian” means a person, other than a biological parent who has parental 
responsibility for a child, which may include a guardian appointed under the  
Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 (VIII of 1890); and  
(j) “Child Trafficking” means recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or 
receipt of a child for the purpose of child marriage.  
3. Registration of child marriages .__ (1) No Nikah registrar shall register a marriage 
where one or both the contracting parties are below the age of eighteen years.  
(2) The Nikah registrar or any person solemnizing Nikah must ensure that the contracting 
parties possess valid Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) duly issued by the National 
Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), clearly stating their respective date of births.  
(3) Whoever contravenes with or fails to comply with sub-section (1) and (2) shall be 
liable to be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which shall not be more than one year and 
with fine amounting to one hundred thousand rupees, or both, unless he proves that he had reason to 
believe that the marriage was not a child marriage.  
4. Punishment for male adult above eighteen years of age marrying a Child. __ 
Whoever, being a male above eighteen years of age, contracts a child marriage shall be punished with 
rigorous imprisonment which may extend to three years but shall not be less than two years and shall 
be liable to fine.  
5. Punishment of Child Abuse.__ (1) Any form of co-habitation, before attaining the age 
of eighteen years, with or without consent, resultin g from a child marriage shall be considered child 
abuse under this Act.  
(2) Any person who induces, forces, persuades, entices or coerces any child bride or child 
groom to engage in any such activity prohibited by sub -section (1) or commits an act of chil d abuse 
shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than five years and may extend 
up to seven years and with fine which shall not be less than one million rupees, or both.  
6. Punishment of Child Trafficking.__ (1) Any person who induces, forces, persuades, entices 
or coerces any child and compels such child to leave the territorial boundary of Islamabad Capital 
Territory for the purpose of defeating and evading the provisions of this Act, with the intent to marry 
the child, shall commit the act of Child Trafficking and shall be punished with imprisonment, of either 
description for a term not less than five years which may extend to seven years with fine.  
(2) Any person who recruits, harbours, transports, provides or obtains any child for the purpose 
of marriage shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term of three years with 
fine.  
7. Punishment for parent or guardian concerned in a child marriage.__ (1) Where a parent 
or guardian or any other person in any capacity, lawful or unlawful, does any act to promote the child 
marriage, child abuse or permits child marriage to be solemnized, or negligently fails to prevent it from 
being solemnized, shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to three years but 
shall not be less than two years and shall also be liable to fine.  
 
Page 4 of 5  
  
(2) For the purposes of this section, it shall be presumed, until contrary is proved, that where a 
child has been contracted into a marriage, a person having charge of such child failed to prevent the 
marriage from being solemnized.  
8. Jurisdiction under this Act.__ Notwithstanding anything contained in section 190 of 
the Code, no Court other than the Court of District & Sessions judge shall take cognizance of or try 
any offence under this Act  
9. Power to issue injunction prohibiting marriage in contravention o f this Act.__ (1) 
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law, the Court may, if satisfied from 
information laid before it through an application that a child marriage in contravention of this Act is 
going to be arranged or is about to be solemnized, issue an injunction prohibiting such marriage:  
Provided that where a parent of a child involved in a child marriage or third party has laid the 
information before the Court and requests to keep his/her identity hidden from the contracti ng parties 
or from the parents or guardians of the contracting parties or the other parent, then the Court shall adopt 
appropriate measures to protect the identity of the third party or parent who has made the application 
before the Court.  
(2) No injunction under sub-section (1) shall be issued against any person unless the Court 
has previously given notice to such person, and has afforded him an opportunity to show cause against 
the issue of the injunction. The Court may dispense with notice if deemed necessary.  
(3) The Court may, either on its own motion or on an application of any person, rescind or 
alter any order made under sub-section (1).  
(4) Where an application under sub-section (3) above is received, the Court shall afford an 
opportunity to the applicant of  appearing before it either in person or by pleader; and if the Court 
rejects the application wholly or in part, it shall record in writing its reasons for so doing.  
(5) Whoever, knowing that an injunction has been issued against him under sub-section (1) 
of this section, disobeys such injunction, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for 
a term which may extend to one year or fine or with both.  
10. Offence to be punishable and triable .__ Notwithstanding anything contained in the 
Code, an offence punishable under this Act shall be cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.  
11. Cognizance, trial and conclusion of the case.__ The Court shall on taking cognizance 
of a case proceed with the trial and conclude the case within ninety days.  
12. Power to make Rules.__ The Federal Government may, by notification in the official 
Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.  
13. Repeal and Savings.__ (1) The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 is hereby repealed 
to the extent of Islamabad Capital Territory.  
 
Page 5 of 5  
  
(2) Notwithstanding the repeal of the Child Marriages Restraint Act, 1929, all orders made, 
decisions taken, judgment passed by any Court, shall be deemed to have been validly made, taken and 
passed under this Act.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RGN.Dated.26.09.2025