Pakistani Govt officially bans dowry now - first Muslim country to do so

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD-Pakistan bans dowry, in the historic decision, Pakistan has become the first Muslim country to make it illegal for a man to take dowry.

In the latest development by the Minister of Religious Affairs of Pakistan has decided to ban the tradition of dowry, in which groom and his family asks for a dowry and then they put it on display.

The details of gifts and dowry given to the bride-to-be entered into the Nikkah-Nama. According to the new law, the allowed dowry will be just clothes (for the bride only) and bed sheets only.

In the case of divorce, the groom’s side has to return all the gifts and dowry to the girl.

https://nation.com.pk/08-Oct-2020/pakistani-govt-officially-bans-dowry-now

 

[KingKhanWC]

Good news.

Dowry is against Islam.

Pakistan needs to end all these cultural practices taken from other sub-contintent faiths. Dowry is backward and unjust.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Will be an issue in Punjab. A lot of people there only get their son married for the dowry.

 

[gkb101277867]

Dowry in Pakistan

Is this still widespread in pakistan? Obviously I know in the villages and poorer areas it is very common but is this still widespread in the middle class/upper middle classes in the bigger cities of Pakistan?

 

[the_best]

I do not know about other muslim majority country but it is a criminal offence to receive, deliver and demand dowry in Bangladesh since 1980 which was last amended in 2018. In fact there are two laws against dowry - dowry prevention act 1980 and Prevention of Repression of Women and Children Act, 2000. So definitely Pakistan is not the first Muslim Majority nation. But welcome to the club - it is better to be late than never

 

[CricketCartoons]

Good news.

Dowry is against Islam.

Pakistan needs to end all these cultural practices taken from other sub-contintent faiths. Dowry is backward and unjust.

People did not take it from other faiths, but they didn't get rid of it when accepting Islam. The correct statement would be: People need to accept Islam fully and get rid of cultural practices they are carrying from the earlier religion of their ancestors.

 

[Mamoon]

People will continue to give dowry/receive no matter what. This ban is as useless as anything.

The issue is more complicated than what it appears. It is deeply embedded in our culture and banning it will not change that.

 

[CricketCartoons]

People will continue to give dowry/receive no matter what. This ban is as useless as anything.

The issue is more complicated than what it appears. It is deeply embedded in our culture and banning it will not change that.

Dowry was banned in india long time ago, but it didn't solve anything. Finally they had to bring draconian laws regarding dowry death and cruelty related to dowry, which helped solve the issue to an extent. It was normal to hear that a newly wed bride got burnt to death in the kitchen due to an exploding stove or kerosene falling on her clothes. Once the draconian laws which imprisoned the entire family of the groom, did this menace stop. A man can be imprisoned if the wife complains about dowry demand, although this law is misused, to a large extent it has helped solve the issue.

Let's hope, pakistanis will follow the ban, and won't need more punitive laws for its implementation.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

People will continue to give dowry/receive no matter what. This ban is as useless as anything.

The issue is more complicated than what it appears. It is deeply embedded in our culture and banning it will not change that.

It's more or less non-existent in Pakistani community in the UK. I don't pretend to know what sort of conditions prevail in the subcontinent to make it still prevalent there but I really can't see it lasting much longer. Great decision by the govt.

 

[Varun]

I'm sure this happened in India decades ago.

Did anything change? No.

 

[Mamoon]

It's more or less non-existent in Pakistani community in the UK. I don't pretend to know what sort of conditions prevail in the subcontinent to make it still prevalent there but I really can't see it lasting much longer. Great decision by the govt.

It is a nasty competition. If your daughter is getting married, you want to give more dowry than what your relatives did or even brother/sister did to their daughters’ in-laws, and if your son is getting married, you want to receive more dowry than what your relatives did.

If you are getting married and you tell the girl’s family that you don’t need dowry, they are likely to take offense because you are perceiving them to be financially weak.

Moreover, if you marry your daughter off without giving her dowry, you will be criticizing for not valuing your daughter and saving your money instead of giving your daughter the things that she likes.

My personal view is that if you can afford it there is nothing wrong with it. It gives parents joy to buy things that your daughter wants and also makes your daughter feel more at home in her new surroundings.

However if you cannot afford it easily which most families cannot, then the groom’s family should not put pressure. If you want dowry then don’t marry into a family that cannot afford it.

Not everything is about what is halal and what is haraam and what is moral and what is immoral; you also need to conform to societal norms and what people in your social class are doing.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

It is a nasty competition. If your daughter is getting married, you want to give more dowry than what your relatives did or even brother/sister did to their daughters’ in-laws, and if your son is getting married, you want to receive more dowry than what your relatives did.

If you are getting married and you tell the girl’s family that you don’t need dowry, they are likely to take offense because you are perceiving them to be financially weak.

Moreover, if you marry your daughter off without giving her dowry, you will be criticizing for not valuing your daughter and saving your money instead of giving your daughter the things that she likes.

My personal view is that if you can afford it there is nothing wrong with it. It gives parents joy to buy things that your daughter wants and also makes your daughter feel more at home in her new surroundings.

However if you cannot afford it easily which most families cannot, then the groom’s family should not put pressure. If you want dowry then don’t marry into a family that cannot afford it.

Not everything is about what is halal and what is haraam and what is moral and what is immoral; you also need to conform to societal norms and what people in your social class are doing.

I think most of the 'benefits' you listed there could be reimagined as wedding gifts. It's not that different but it takes away the sexist element and sense of expectation.

 

[RajBan]

Dowry is a cultural practice and not a religious one. Not sure why we are awaiting faith here.

 

[MenInG]

Thankfully the younger generation is a bit more enlightened and do not take kindly to such practices.

 

[Syed1]

Honestly no amount of laws can change this. Only education and a realization amongst the population that this is something that has to be discouraged. Thankfully the educated middle class is moving away from this practice, often people will turn down rishtay if they guy's family demands dowry. Sometimes the girl's family will themselves provide it to give their daughter and new hubby a headstart in life - don't see an issue with voluntary dowry. However, the super rich elite class still has it because it is seen as a status symbol and the lower poorer classes still do it because of lack of awareness and education.

 

[KingKhanWC]

People did not take it from other faiths, but they didn't get rid of it when accepting Islam. The correct statement would be: People need to accept Islam fully and get rid of cultural practices they are carrying from the earlier religion of their ancestors.

Where did it come from? This practice is mostly in Asia. Muslims in Asia have taken on many rituals and cultrual aspects of other faiths, many which are negative such as this.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Where did it come from? This practice is mostly in Asia. Muslims in Asia have taken on many rituals and cultrual aspects of other faiths, many which are negative such as this.

It came from the cultural practices of their forefathers, who carried them like a disease when moving to a new religion. They did not fully embrace their new religion.

It was not as if they thought, look those other religion people do things this way, let us copy from them.

 

[Energy]

Unfortunately it still happens, and as [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] points out it is called wedding gifts to make it not look like dowry.

Home appliances, furniture are provided by the girl's family. Parents pay the bills, parents pay the dowry, parents have the upper hand even after marriage. The boy and girl act as silly kiddos with very little sense of authority or maturity. No wonder the birth rates and divorce rates are rising.

The dowry tradition will only end if the young generation can actually stand on their feet and be mature enough to understand the meaning of marriage and take their responsibilities seriously. Applies to both boys and girls.

 

[CricketCartoons]

The dowry tradition will only end if the young generation can actually stand on their feet and be mature enough to understand the meaning of marriage and take their responsibilities seriously. Applies to both boys and girls.

Dowry tradition will remain till the parents have a say in the choice of life partners. it is a sellers market for bride grooms, as parents of girls want to marry in a family which is better than theirs. To marry up, you need to stand out from the rest of the buyers, and dowry clinches the deal (other things being more or less equal).

 

[Energy]

Dowry tradition will remain till the parents have a say in the choice of life partners. it is a sellers market for bride grooms, as parents of girls want to marry in a family which is better than theirs. To marry up, you need to stand out from the rest of the buyers, and dowry clinches the deal (other things being more or less equal).

That's true. And parents have a bigger say if the kids aren't unable to hold their ground. We have a sizeable population of 20s/30s who are partly or fully dependent on parents for survival and therefore everything skews toward parents having the final say in all matters.

How many times have we seen a saas bahu fight and the guy is just standing in between either looking like an idiot or is clueless. Television is thriving on this nonsense.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

That's true. And parents have a bigger say if the kids aren't unable to hold their ground. We have a sizeable population of 20s/30s who are partly or fully dependent on parents for survival and therefore everything skews toward parents having the final say in all matters.

How many times have we seen a saas bahu fight and the guy is just standing in between either looking like an idiot or is clueless. Television is thriving on this nonsense.

Are you talking about abroad or Pakistan itself? I know that parents tend to be overindulgent in foreign countries, but surprisingly I am seeing even in Pakistan people in their late 20's still living at home whereas in the past the parents could barely wait until they were out of their teens to get them married off and out the door.

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: More than 50% of Pakistanis who took part in a survey believe that a girl's family should give dowry when marrying her off.

The survey, conducted by Pulse Consultants, comprised more than 2,000 respondents. The poll was carried out through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI).

When asked if it was necessary to give dowry, 56% of those surveyed responded in the affirmative, whereas 39% said no; 5%, however, said they did not know.

Almost a third of the respondents — 61% — opined that dowry should be allowed in the Pakistani system but more than a third — 36% — were against it.

Moreover, when categorised by gender, 59% of the Pakistani men said dowry should be allowed, while 38% commented against it. Among the women, almost three-quarters — or 73% — believed that dowry should be allowed while 24% responded in negative.


https://www.geo.tv/latest/322327-mo...believe-girls-family-should-give-dowry-survey

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.geo.tv/latest/339098-dowry-a-woman-brings-with-her-is-personal-property-sc

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that gifts given to the bride at the time of marriage are her personal property, and they cannot be taken away from her, according to Sharia law.

The ruling came during the hearing of a property dispute in the Supreme Court by a bench comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi.

In the 12-page judgment, Justice Isa said a woman has every right to own property and run a business. "A woman's right to inherit from her parents and husband is clearly defined in [Islamic law]."

The court said husbands should make an inheritance will for their wives. In Pakistan, the injunctions of the Holy Quran are also ignored in this regard, the judgment said.

Moreover, the judges cited Quranic verses in their judgment as well.

 

[guna]

Dowry was banned in 80's or 90's in India. Yet people continue to accept this practice.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Dowry was banned in 80's or 90's in India. Yet people continue to accept this practice.

Law != Practice. But without law, the practice would be more rampant.

 

[wajid]

Practices like this cannot be changed by government bans. They are useless. If only they put more efforts in universal and mandatory schooling then it might be a step to solve many such issues.

Also, I was surprised with my Indian friends in US that how much it is entrenched in Indian culture. Definitely way more than Pakistani culture. Apart from memons, I have not heard people openly discussing expected rates of dowry money in Pakistan. But my very well educated Indian friends were talking about huge sums and even it seems there are tiers based on how accomplished the groom is and whether he is in India or abroad. Don’t know how rampant it is but definitely was shocked by causal discussion.

Also heard of opposite practices among Pashtuns and Arabs where groom has to give large sum of money to bride’s father. Equally problematic.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Over 13 million girls in Punjab do not receive marriage proposals due to dowry, MPA says

Over 13 million girls in Punjab do not receive marriage proposals primarily due to their families not being able to afford dowry, the Punjab Assembly was told on Friday.

A member of the Punjab Assembly from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Ahsan Raza Khan, has shed light on the issue of dowry, considering it a social menace. He mentioned that India had passed a law declaring both giving and receiving dowry as a crime.

He further stated that Shehbaz Sharif had imposed a ban on lavish wedding feasts, which led to the marriages of impoverished girls taking place. Ahsan Raza Khan expressed concern that the obsession with providing dowry, including cars, pushes the poor to the brink of suicide. He demanded strict regulations and restrictions on dowry and extravagant displays.

The Punjab Assembly member also highlighted the existence of inheritance laws, where daughters are entitled to a share. He pointed out that 80% of the population belongs to the working-class, earning a monthly wage of 32,000 rupees. This amount, he added, should be utilized to enroll the girls in schools or accumulate it for their future, rather than gathering dowry.

He emphasized that the birth of a daughter often leads to depression and ultimately suicide, as 13.5 million girls are unable to receive marriage proposals. Ahsan Raza Khan expressed his deep disapproval of the societal curse of dowry and pledged to cleanse society from this evil by enacting laws.

Sahibzada Saeed, the Minister of Finance and Social Welfare in Punjab, also condemned the practice of dowry and labeled it a curse on society. He stated that they would formulate laws to eradicate this social menace and purify society from this tumor called dowry.

He further added that dowry is a cancer, and revolutionary steps need to be taken against it. Dowry is a disgrace to this society, as it brings various issues for the nation’s daughters, and parents are burdened with unnecessary expenses. The department will introduce such a law that will ensure that daughters no longer face the challenges associated with dowry.


AAJ TV

 

[BouncerGuy]

Dowry is still a huge problem in Pakistan. We have made our weddings so lavish and expensive that a poor person cannot even think about getting his daughter married because it is all the pressure of society to please everybody.