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.