Pakistan Court OKs Marriage Parents Oppose

A couple who married for love did not violate the teachings of Islam, even though the union was not arranged by their parents, Pakistan’s High Court ruled Monday.

For more than a year, Saima Wahid, who flouted tradition by choosing the man she wanted to marry, lived in a shelter for women in Lahore while her parents tried to have her marriage declared invalid.

Her parents argued that Islam requires parental permission before a woman can marry, and asked the court to annul her February 1996 marriage to Arshad Ahmed. In Islamic Pakistan, civil courts rule on some religious issues, including whether a woman can marry without her parents’ consent.

Ahmed was jailed for four months before being granted bail and released pending the court’s decision.

In Monday’s 2-1 ruling, the court said Wahid’s decision to choose her own husband does not violate Islamic teachings, meaning the couple can now live together.

The ruling was considered a milestone for women in Pakistan, where men dominate and tradition and Islam are often cited as reasons to restrict women’s rights.

But the ruling was confusing on some important issues, said the woman’s lawyer, Asma Jahangir.

For example, one of the judges who upheld the marriage based his decision on the fact that the bride’s parents had let Ahmed into their home to teach her brothers English, which he interpreted as tacit approval.

Despite the ambiguity, Wahid, 22, said she is pleased with the ruling. “I feel as if I am reborn,” she said. “This verdict proves that one can still get justice in Pakistan and that the rights granted to women in Islam and our constitution are genuine.”

Her parents refused to comment, and it wasn’t immediately known whether they would appeal.