President Asif Ali Zardari has assented to “The Christian Marriage (Amendment) Act 2024,” increasing the minimum marriage age limit for Christians from 16 to 18 years.

Addressing the signing ceremony in Islamabad on Tuesday, the president also called for enhancing job quotas for minorities in every government department. Minorities have equal rights in the country, he added.

President Zardari stressed that minorities should not be disheartened by some isolated incidents, saying that they had equal ownership over the homeland as much as anybody else.

The president accorded approval to the Christian Marriage (Amendment) Act 2024 under Article 75 of the Constitution. The act amends Section 60 of the Christian Marriage Act of 1872.

Previously, the age of Christian men and women intending to be married was 16 and 13 years, respectively.

The ceremony was attended by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony (MORA), Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs, Zulfiquar Haider, members of the Christian community and senior government officials.