Published on, Sept. 27 -- September 27, 2025 7:42 AM

The Lahore High Court has ruled that under Islamic law, a marriage contracted after attaining puberty is valid, even if the individual is below the age set in the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929.

In Punjab, where the statute fixes the minimum marriage age at 18 for males and 16 for females, the effect of this judgment is chilling: the protective barrier of law collapses the moment a girl of fifteen is declared to have reached puberty. In one stroke, the court has allowed the biological accident of adolescence to erase the legal guarantee of childhood.

This ruling collides with a profoundly different vision of Pakistan's future. Only months ago, the Islamabad Capital Territory Ch...