Punjab Panel Clears Christian Marriage Bill For Nadra Registration

A Punjab Assembly standing committee has unanimously approved the Christian Marriage Bill 2026, moving the province closer to a new legal framework for Christian marriages and official registration through Nadra and local union councils.

The bill was approved on Wednesday by the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minority Affairs during a meeting chaired by MPA Raheela Khadam Hussain. The draft legislation will now be placed before the full Punjab Assembly for final consideration and enactment.

If passed by the assembly, the bill would replace the colonial-era Christian Marriage Act of 1872, a law that has remained in force for more than a century and a half. Lawmakers and minority rights advocates have long argued that the existing framework is outdated and does not meet the administrative and rights-based needs of Christian citizens in Punjab.

A major proposed change is the mandatory official registration of Christian marriages with both the relevant union council and Nadra. Supporters of the bill say this would help couples obtain properly recognised records, reduce administrative complications and give Christian marriages clearer legal standing in official documentation.

The proposed law would also raise the minimum legal age of marriage to 18 years for both the bride and groom. The bill’s mover, Falbous Christopher, told the committee that the existing 1872 law sets the minimum age at 16 for males and 13 for females, a threshold he said no longer protects children or ensures free consent.

Christopher said raising the age requirement would strengthen safeguards against child marriage and help ensure that both parties enter marriage with genuine consent. The measure is being framed as part of a broader effort to modernise personal law while protecting individual rights within the Christian community.

The bill also lays out who may solemnise Christian marriages. It proposes that ordained and religiously qualified pastors of churches registered with the Punjab government, along with government-appointed marriage registrars, may conduct marriage ceremonies according to Christian rites.

Other safeguards in the draft include prior written notice, public announcements of marriage and the presence of at least two witnesses during the ceremony. The bill would also remove older restrictions on specific times or days for weddings and introduce standardised registers and official forms for maintaining detailed marriage records.

After the committee’s unanimous approval, the bill’s next step is debate and voting in the Punjab Assembly. If enacted, it would mark a significant update to Christian personal law in the province and could improve legal documentation, marriage registration and protection against underage marriage.