Sikhs want marriage bill for community members in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa

The Sikh community in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkwa (K-P) has demanded the provincial government to introduce a Sikh marriage bill in order to solve various legal problems faced by the community.

The Express Tribune quoted a local Sikh elder Gorpal Singh as saying that said the Punjab Assembly has already introduced a bill and it is high time for the K-P assembly to follow suit.

"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.

Singh added that there is also no specific rule to resolve domestic issues in the traditional and religious way if a couple goes to court.

Asserting that Sikh is religion different from the Hinduism, he said that some people confuse us with the Hindu community and also emphasised that the Hindu marriage bill or act can't be applied on us

Singh informed that the Sikh community was recently told by some officials that the K-P government was keen on taking a decision on the issue and they really welcomed the proposal.

He suggested the local Sikh community should be taken into confidence prior to the tabling of the bill as there is no representative of the Sikh community in the assembly.

Another Sikh leader Baba Jee Amarjit Singh also welcomed any move on part of the PTI government to solve problems of the community through fresh legislation.