Pakistani court validates marriage of 12-yr-old girl

A judge sitting at the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore gave the ruling on the grounds that in Islam a female can marry if she has reached puberty, the officials told AFP.

He accepted a joint petition by the girl, named as Zeenat Bibi, and her 25-year-old husband Babar Javed and dismissed charges of rape which were filed by her father.

"This is the first time that a court has validated marriage of a 12-year-old girl in Pakistan," her lawyer Azeem Sarwar said. The decision was handed down on Wednesday.

The ruling also overrides the Muslim Family Law under which the marriageable age for girls in Pakistan is 16 years, he added.

Pakistan has regularly come under fire from rights groups for failing to tackle the social issues affecting women and children, as well as sexual and domestic violence against females.

Justice Shabbar Raza Rizvi observed that in Islam "puberty starts with menstruation and as such the marriage of Zeenat and Babar Javed is declared valid."