Age and Social Status at Marriage:

Prior to July 15, 1961, when the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance[5] came into effect, formal registration of marriages was not required,although a record of marriages was usually kept by the person performingthe ceremony (Qazis, Mosque Imams, etc.). However, no centralized systemof registration of marriages existed, with the result that no reliablestatistics concerning marriages in Pakistan were available. For allpractical purposes, all Muslim and Hindu marriages in Pakistan arearranged by the two families. But since 1961 the registration ofmarriages has been required, and, as the law applies only to Muslims,the followers of Islam are expected to adhere to it. At a later date,perhaps, members of other religious communities may also be required toregister their marriages. Karachi, the major commercial and industrialcity of the nation, as well as its most populous city, is 96.9 per centMuslim [7, Vol. 1, Part II, p. 60]. The administration of the FamilyLaws Ordinance is left in the hands of the Basic Democrats UnionCommittees, and the registration of marriages, as well as other officialbusiness is conducted in the Basic Democrats' Union offices. The city isdivided into a number of registration areas, and, although it ispossible to register marriages elsewhere, residents normally recordtheir intentions at the local union office in the registration areawhere the bride resides.