Islamabad, March 11 (IANS) Pakistan National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior recently rejected a bill that sought to ban dowry, terming it as “impractical”. With an estimated 2,000 brides killed in Pakistan each year over dowry disputes, the rejection of this legislation is not only a parliamentary setback but also showcases the state’s reluctance to systemic gendered coercion disguised as tradition, a report has stated.
Dowry is defended as “gifts” or cultural norms in Pakistan with the bride’s family giving cash, jewellery, household goods, and other valuables to the groom’s family. However, the practice has caused coercion, humiliation, and violence. Families in Pakistan who are not able to give adequate dowry face social ostracism and daughters are frequently considered burdens. Last year, a Punjab Assembly speaker said that nearly 13.5 million women in Pakistan remain unmarried as their families could not pay dowry, a report in Nepal-based Hamrakura stated.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqui moved the Dowry Restraint Bill, which sought to criminalise dowry practices. The proposed legislation had outlined a framework to criminalize dowry practices in Pakistan. As per the legislation, anyone found guilty of giving, taking or practising dowry would face prison terms of up to five years and fines of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 250,000 or the equivalent value of the dowry.
Furthermore, the legislation sought to impose penalties of up to two years in prison and fines on those who demanded dowry, whether directly or indirectly. The bill was introduced to curb the cultural normalisation of dowry by criminalising its advertisement or promotion. In addition, the bill recognised that all bridal gifts as the personal property of the bride, stipulating that any items received by people other than her must be given to her within three months period.
Despite the bill’s objectives, the committee unanimously rejected the proposed legislation, with chairman Raja Khurram Nawaz contending that Pakistan already has laws regulating wedding expenses and dowry practices and that stronger implementation of existing laws would be more effective. According to the report in Hamrakura, other members of the committee, such as Khawaja Izhar ul Hassan, criticised the bill for placing the burden of complaint on brides and their families, potentially damaging family relationships.
“The rejection exposes a deeper fault line in Pakistan’s legislative process: laws addressing structural inequality are often held to impossibly high standards, while those preserving the status quo pass with little scrutiny. As Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen observed, dismissing the bill as “unworkable” reflects a reluctance to legislate against everyday forms of gendered coercion. The committee’s discussion, disturbingly, seemed to encourage dowry rather than restrain it, normalizing a practice that commodifies women,” the report mentioned.
“This outcome is particularly troubling given the scale of the crisis. Dowry disputes not only perpetuate violence but also exacerbate poverty, as poorer families take out loans to meet demands, plunging them into deeper financial instability. The rejection of the bill signals that the state is unwilling to confront this coercive system headon, preferring instead to regulate rather than abolish it,” it added.
–IANS
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