JI tables bill to ban dowry in KP Assembly

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Thursday tabled a bill in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seeking to ban exploitative dowry practices.

The bill, tabled by JI MPA Rashida Riffat, includes the following proposals:

A complete ban on the give and take of dowry in wedding ceremonies.

Three months worth of jail time and Rs200,000 fine for anyone involved in the give and take of dowry.

Legal action against anyone involved in pressuring the bride’s family into giving dowry.

Gifts given to the couple at the wedding should not cost more than Rs10,000.

The valima ceremony should cost should no more than Rs75,000.

Marriage functions to not continue after 10pm.

Only beverages to be served at nikah and baraat ceremonies.

“This is a landmark bill and we support it fullym,” said KP government spokesman Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani.

He added that the provincial government plans to get the bill unanimously passed and will look for ways to ensure its implementation in the province.

In Pakistan, there have been numerous instances of violence against women and their families for not providing ‘adequate’ dowry to the groom’s family at the time of the wedding.

While much has been said against the custom, no concrete legal steps have so far been taken to prevent its frequent occurrence.

Source: Dawn