History
New Bliss
by YUDHVIR RANA
This Vaisakhi could witness a large number of Sikh couples converging in Pakistan for solemnizing their marriages and getting them registered under The Sikh Marriage Ordinance 2008, which was approved by Pakistan's federal cabinet on the evening of Tuesday, January 22, 2008.
The ordinance will become a bill once President Pervez Musharraf, who is on a foreign tour, signs it. Pakistan has thus become the first country to enact a separate law for registration of Sikh marriages, even as India has yet to follow suit, despite pressure from various Sikh organizations.
Pritpal Singh, Convener, American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC), confirmed that Pakistan's federal cabinet met last Tuesday and approved the Sikh Marriage Ordinance 2008, aimed at giving a legal sanctity to their distinct identity.
He said the law would also address possible problems like maintenance and custody of children, registration of marriage and alimony, which were not covered by the Anand Marriage Act 1909.
Bishan Singh, President, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), advises that the government has specified six places including Nankana Sahib, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore for solemnizing Sikh marriages. He said PSGPC was hopeful of many Sikh couples arriving in Pakistan for getting their marriages registered.
"This Vaisakhi we are expecting a lot of Sikh couples from around the world to arrive here for marriages, as we are already flooded with related queries", the PSGPC president said.
Notably, Pakistan's Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Syed Afzal Haider, had announced to make a separate law for registration of Sikh marriages in Pakistan during the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak in November of last year.
SGPC President, Avtar Singh, said that the Committee was also pursuing the matter in India.
A Sikh marriage is called Anand Karaj. This form of marriage was introduced from the time of the Sikh Gurus and was given statutory recognition during the British rule in India by the Anand Marriage Act 1909. However, in India the Act now lies redundant, since Sikh marriages are strangely registered under the Hindu Marriage Act.
[Courtesy: The Times of India]
Conversation about this article
1: Bhupinder Singh Ghai (New Delhi, India), January 25, 2008, 9:35 AM.
India is indeed a strange country. You have a Benaras Hindu Univ., an Aligarh Muslim Univ., a Hindu College, separate laws for Hindus, Muslims, etc. ... and it still calls itself secular. Historically, Sikhs have always been short changed and clubbed under Hindu laws, thus attempting to deny and dilute the distinct Sikh identity.
2: Satvir Kaur (Boston, U.S.A.), January 25, 2008, 9:38 AM.
Yay to Pakistan! Boo to India!