Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of the four administrative provinces of Pakistan, located in the northwestern region of the country along the international border with Afghanistan. It was previously known as the North-West Frontier Province. Peshawar is the largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
There are nearly 10,000 members of the Sikh community in the province and they are demanding an introduction of Sikh marriage bill from the provincial government in order to solve various legal problems faced by the community.
According to The Express Tribune, a local Sikh elder said that the Punjab assembly has already introduced a bill and that K-P assembly should also do the same.
“We are faced with a lot of problems. When we open a bank account we are asked to give name of a heir. As there is no registration of Sikh marriages it is very difficult to prove inheritance,” he said.
At present, if a Sikh couple goes to court, there are no clear cut rules to settle domestic issues in the traditional and religious way. For the time being, after the matrimonial ritual of Anand Karaj is performed in the gurudwara, a marriage certificate is issued by the head priest to the couple.
Considered a minority within a minority, Sikhs are heavily dependent on Hindu lawmakers, provincially as well as nationally, to forward their cause.
Groom's wedding blue shoes, traditional Sikh sword and a bridal bouquet on top of a stone. Source: iStockphoto
“Sikh is religion different from the Hinduism but some people confuse us with the Hindu community. The Hindu marriage bill or act can’t be applied on us,” said Mr Singh.
Recently, he said, the Sikh community was told by some officials that the K-P government was keen on taking a decision on the issue and they really welcomed the proposal.
“However, since there is no representative of the Sikh community in the assembly, the best way to do is to take the local Sikh community into confidence prior to the tabling of the bill,” he suggested.
Another Sikh leader Baba Jee Amarjit Singh said any move on part of the PTI government to solve problems of the community through fresh legislation was highly welcome. “We will cooperate with the government but the local community should be taken into confidence in this regard,” he said.
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