KP Assembly Passes Hindu Marriage Bill 2026

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday passed the Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2026 and witnessed a rare display of bipartisan unity as lawmakers from both sides joined forces to demand continued tax exemptions for residents of Malakand and the newly merged tribal districts.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Mina Khan Afridi tabled the Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2026, which the House passed promptly.

The new law delegates the authority to appoint registrars for Hindu marriages to district governments. In union councils with Hindu populations, the local government will issue licences to the registrars.

The provincial government has also prepared the Excise Duty on Minerals (Amendment) Bill 2026, which aims to strengthen the welfare framework for mine workers. Although not yet tabled, the bill proposes reconstituting the Mines Labour Welfare Board to include representatives from the departments of Finance, Health, Labour, Education, Zakat, Social Welfare, and Communication and Works.

The Secretary of Minerals will chair the board, while the Chief Commissioner of Mines Labour Welfare will serve as vice chairman. Four representatives each from mine owners and mine workers will also secure seats on the reconstituted body.

The session’s most charged moment came when government and opposition lawmakers set aside their differences to strongly oppose the imposition of taxes in Malakand and the former FATA and PATA regions.

Speaker Babar Salim Swati indicated that a full debate would take place in the House. He hinted at convening a joint meeting of parliamentary leaders from both sides to chart a future course of action.

Provincial Minister Dr Amjad pushed back against the opposition’s criticism, asserting that no tax was imposed in Malakand during the PTI era and accusing the PML-N of staging a “drama.”

He noted that only a hotel tax had been levied on an establishment owned by an outsider and pinned responsibility on the federal government.

He also reminded the House of past pledges by former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and PTI founder Imran Khan, both of whom had promised that taxes would not be imposed in Malakand.