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In a first, KP govt moves to register Kalash marriages
Manzoor AliApril 15, 2026
A Kalash woman wearing a traditional dress takes a selfie with her friends during a break as they celebrate ‘Joshi’, a festival to welcome the arrival of spring, at Bumburate village.—AFP
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has tabled a bill in the provincial assembly to provide for solemnisation and registration of marriages by Kalash minority families, making 18 years’ prohibitory age for both males and females for contracting marriages.
Kalash community, a minority of over 4,000 people, lives in a remote enclave of three valleys of Bumburet, Birir and Rambur villages of Chitral district.
The proposed legislation, Kalash Marriage Bill 2026 was tabled in the KP Assembly and referred by the speaker to the relevant committee for detailed review and consultation before its final approval.
The bill provides legal cover for Kalash marriages, customs and customary rites and it would be applicable to all those citizens of KP who profess Kalash faith.
Section 5 of the proposed legislation put in place conditions for solemnisation of Kalash marriages. It provides that the couples should be of sound mind, capable of giving a valid consent, having attained minimum age of 17 years and are not among the degrees of prohibited relationship.
