Punjab Assembly adopts Sikh Marriage Bill

The Punjab Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed Sikh Marriage Bill (The Punjab Anand Karaj Bill 2017). The House also passed The Code of Civil Procedure (Punjab Amendment Bill 2018), The Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Bahawalpur Bill 2018, The Punjab Hepatitis Bill 2017, The Bahwalpur Development Authority (Repeal) Bill 2018, The Limitation (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, The Punjab Tianjin University of Technology Lahore Bill 2017, The University of Narowal Bill 2018 and The university of Sialkot Bill 2018.
The special audit report on private housing schemes GDA Gujranwala, MDA, Multan and FDA Faisalabad, HUD & PHE Department, Government of Punjab for the audit year 2015-16, report on MCAT and ECAT, special audit report on Water & Sanitation Agency (WASA) Lahore, HUD & PHE Department, Government of Punjab, for the audit year 2014- 15 were also presented in the House.
The session started 1 hour 40 minutes late under the chair of Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal. After the passage of Sikh Marriage Act, Pakistan became the first country in the world where Sikh marriages will be registered.
This is the first private member bill passed in the House in the five parliamentary years of the Punjab Assembly. It is pertinent to mention here that there is no Sikh Marriage Act in India and in marriages of Sikhs registered under the Hindu Marriage Act.
The recommendations of the report f the special committee number 9 on MCAT and ECAT was unanimously passed by the House. The report was presented by PTI MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal. On Private Members Day, the resolution of PTI MNA Dr Nosheen Hamid regarding legislation to stop torture on mentally and physically disabled children was passed. The resolution of PML-N MPA Sheikh Ejaz for seeking ban on DJ Nights in educational institutes was also passed.
The answers regarding questions on Department of Public Prosecution and Home Department were given by parliamentary secretaries Ahmad Khan Baloch and Rana Afzal. The speaker adjourned the session till 10 am on Thursday after the completion of agenda.