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President Asif Ali Zardari accorded on Friday his assent to the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, which seeks to protect the rights of children and put an end to marriages of children under the age of 18 in Islamabad.

The bill reached the presidency on May 27 after sailing through both houses of parliament. However, the move also attracted opposition from some religious factions, with the Council of Islamic Ideology ruling that classifying marriage under the age of 18 as rape did not conform with Islamic law.

Despite this backlash, the move is being hailed as a win by many. The bill follows the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act of 2013. In 2023, the Federal Shariat Court dismissed a petition challenging the Act, saying that the law was not against the injunctions of Islam.

After PPP Senator Sherry Rehman posted the notification about the Islamabad bill on X (formerly Twitter), celebrities, politicians and social media users praised the outcome.

Rehman herself thanked President Zardari as well as the people involved in making the journey possible, calling it a “proud moment for Pakistan.”

PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui posted the notification to her Instagram, stating that child marriages were the most tragic injustices, robbing girls of their childhood, education, health and future. She maintained that child marriages perpetuated cycles of poverty, abuse, inequality and stood as a stain on the collective conscience.

“In a moment that will be remembered in the annals of our nation’s history, President Asif Ali Zardari has risen above pressure and political noise to do what is right, just, and humane. By signing the Child Marriage Restraint Bill into law, he has given voice to the voiceless and protection to the powerless.”

Actor Saba Qamar, who serves as the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) national ambassador for child rights, took to her Instagram story to celebrate the “beautiful victory.”

“We did it. What was right, what was needed. What a beautiful victory on this Mubarak Friday!”

In a video for Unicef, shared on Thursday, Qamar highlighted the impact of child marriage on young girls’ futures and called for unified action to protect children.

Actor Zara Noor Abbas also shared the news on her Instagram story and wrote, “about time.”

Social media reacts

Pakistani netizens commended the move, with one X user calling it a “big win for children’s rights in Pakistan.”

“The parliament has unanimously passed a landmark bill banning child marriages in the federal capital, setting 18 as the minimum legal age for marriage for both boys and girls. Time to protect our future generations!”

Others called for “strict enforcement” of the bill to ensure child marriages did not continue, with one user highlighting that other bills “were never followed” and hoped this one “isn’t just for show.”

Writer Bina Shah congratulated the brave women of Pakistan “who fought across party lines to see the Child Marriage Restraint Act […] signed into law yesterday.”

Shah called it a “historic day for Pakistan, as this is the seat of the government and will set a precedent for the rest of the nation.”

Another X user called it a “monumental moment”, adding that the bill was a “powerful stride toward protecting countless girls from injustice, abuse and lost opportunities.”

On Instagram, a user commended President Zardari’s move and said, “A brave and needed law regardless of the backlash it got, it had to be done and I am glad the government didn’t bow down to pressure.”

Another social media user expressed indignation and said that it was the 21st century, and people were still asking for the bare minimum that “adults should not marry children. Is that too much to ask for?”