A story that has accumulated thousands of interactions on Facebook claims that a new law has been introduced in Pakistan, making it easier for men to remarry. According to the posts, under the supposed legislation, courts can now direct women to allow their husbands to remarry.
The claim is baseless.
On November 4, a user on Facebook posted a 12-second video with the caption: “The Nikkah (marriage) bill has been passed by the government. Two marriages for men have been made mandatory.”
The accompanying text further stated that it was a moment of joy for men, as the first wife’s permission would no longer be required, and courts would compel first wives to agree. It added that a notification had been issued and the law would be implemented from November 1.
At the time of writing, the video had been viewed over three million times, liked over 30,000 times, and shared more than 3,300 times.
Officials from the federal and all four provincial governments confirmed that no such law has been passed, nor is it under consideration.
Allah Rakhi, the public relations officer to the federal law minister, told Geo Fact Check over the phone that the claim was incorrect: “No such type of bill has been passed by any committee or by the parliament.”
Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari dismissed the online claims as "fake news".
Similarly, Sindh Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Zia ul Hassan Lanjar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi, and Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind all denied the claim when contacted by Geo Fact Check.
Furthermore, Geo Fact Check could not find any record of such a bill on the official websites of the National Assembly, Senate, or the provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.
Verdict: No law has been passed in Pakistan allowing men to remarry without their first wife’s consent. Officials from both the federal and provincial governments confirmed that the claim circulating online is fabricated and entirely unfounded.
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