Islamabad, March 11 – The Standing Committee on Interior of the Pakistan National Assembly recently rejected a bill that aimed to ban dowry, deeming it "impractical." With an estimated 2,000 brides killed in Pakistan each year due to dowry disputes, the rejection of this legislation is not only a setback for parliament but also highlights the state's reluctance to address systemic gender-based coercion disguised as tradition, according to a report.
Dowry is defended in Pakistan as "gifts" or cultural norms, with the bride's family providing cash, jewelry, household goods, and other valuables to the groom's family. However, this practice has led to coercion, humiliation, and violence. Families in Pakistan who are unable to provide adequate dowry face social ostracism, and daughters are frequently considered a burden. Last year, a speaker of the Punjab Assembly said that nearly 13.5 million women in Pakistan remain unmarried because their families cannot afford dowry, according to a report in Hamrakura based in Nepal.
Sharmila Faruqui, a leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), introduced the Dowry Restraint Bill, which aimed to criminalize dowry practices. The proposed legislation outlined a framework for criminalizing dowry practices in Pakistan. According to the legislation, anyone found guilty of giving, taking, or practicing dowry would face prison sentences of up to five years and fines of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 250,000 or the equivalent value of the dowry.
Furthermore, the legislation sought to impose prison sentences of up to two years and fines on those who demanded dowry, whether directly or indirectly. The bill was introduced to curb the cultural normalization of dowry by criminalizing its advertisement or promotion. In addition, the bill recognized that all bridal gifts were the personal property of the bride, stipulating that any items received by people other than her must be given to her within three months.
Despite the bill's objectives, the committee unanimously rejected the proposed legislation, with chairman Raja Khurram Nawaz contending that Pakistan already has laws regulating wedding expenses and dowry practices, and that stronger implementation of existing laws would be more effective. According to the Hamrakura report, other members of the committee, such as Khawaja Izhar ul Hassan, criticized the bill for placing the burden of complaint on brides and their families, potentially damaging family relationships.
"The rejection exposes a deeper flaw in Pakistan's legislative process: laws addressing structural inequality are often held to impossibly high standards, while those preserving the status quo pass with little scrutiny. As Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen observed, dismissing the bill as "unworkable" reflects a reluctance to legislate against everyday forms of gender-based coercion. The committee's discussion, disturbingly, seemed to encourage dowry rather than restrain it, normalizing a practice that commodifies women," the report mentioned.
"This outcome is particularly troubling given the scale of the crisis. Dowry disputes not only perpetuate violence but also exacerbate poverty, as poorer families take out loans to meet demands, plunging them into deeper financial instability. The rejection of the bill signals that the state is unwilling to confront this coercive system head-on, preferring instead to regulate rather than abolish it," it added.