Pak's Sindh province assembly passes bill to allow Hindu widows to remarry

A landmark bill allowing Hindu widows to remarry has been passed by the assembly of Pakistan's Sindh province's assembly.

The bill was initially moved by Nand Kumar Goklani of the functional Pakistan Muslim League in the assembly.

"The Hindu community specially their widows, suffer a lot because of outdated customs and traditions that don't allow them to remarry in society," Goklani said.

The bill allows Hindu widows to remarry out of their own free will but only after a period of six months has lapsed after their husband's death.

The bill also grants Hindu women the right to file a petition for dissolution of a marriage if they want to terminate their marriage.

Sindh Law Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said the bill had been passed unanimously.

Majority of the Hindu population in Pakistan reside in the Sindh province, including urban areas like Hyderabad, Sukkur and Karachi.