WI: Polygamy is banned in Pakistan

Bhutto may have had the authority to pull it off, but he had an ambivalent position to the Islamists. When they confronted him about drinking whiskey at a rally, he said to them: "Yes, I'm drinking sharab. But unlike you sister-fuckers I do not drink the people’s blood". On the other hand, he banned the Ahmadiyya cult in order to appease them. I'm not sure if he would have risked an out-and-out conflict with them.
 
So I asked if in the case ul-Haq does not rise to power and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is Prime Minister, would Bhutto ban polygamy in Pakistan?

He would need to stay in power much longer for this, and you'd need more secular left-wing PPP leaders in the upper party hierarchy. The PPP was originally Bhutto's personal pet project, but in the late 1960s many young activists, who were active in the student protests, came into the party. But in the early 1970s there were purges against members who were regarded as being too pro-Soviet. So, if there would be no purges and Bhutto stays PM/President for a longer period, those younger forces could rise up and might push for some reforms.
 

jahenders

Banned
You'd really need a hard-core, sectarian regime to stay in power for an extended period of time for it to happen and doing so would generate additional opposition.

They'd also have to put some phase-in laws in place for the many polygamist marriages already in place. For instance, they could say, "No new polygamist marriages can be performed as of XXX date, but previous ones are OK." However, that would be abused by falsifying marriage dates, etc.
 
You'd really need a hard-core, sectarian regime to stay in power for an extended period of time for it to happen and doing so would generate additional opposition.

In a Cold War context, that could actually be used against a PPP government. In neighbouring Afghanistan, the pro-Communist government introduced women's education, but with their public Quran burnings, they alienated not only the religious establishment, but also a large part of the traditional population. Back then, every religious force was regarded by the West as a reliable anti-Communist one. So I guess if the Islamists or other traditional parties like the Muslim League would act against the reforms, they'd receive Western support by claiming that the anti-polygamy laws are covertly Communist.
 
to answer the question, we first need to find out just how widespread polygamy is there. I've read that it's somewhat common in the rural areas where the central government has little sway (which is where you also see rampant abuse of the 'child bride' problem)... what about the rest of the country?
 
to answer the question, we first need to find out just how widespread polygamy is there. I've read that it's somewhat common in the rural areas where the central government has little sway (which is where you also see rampant abuse of the 'child bride' problem)... what about the rest of the country?

It's also important to know how "popular" polygamy was throughout the decades. I'm not that much familiar with the different traditions in Pakistani society, the only thing I've read in that area was Betsy Udink's "Allah & Eva". Is polygamy that widespread and popular that a ban would create massive resistance? This is an important factor for this question.
 

Ak-84

Banned
Its already restricted since the 1960 Family Law Ordinance and the 1964 Family Courts Act. Specifically Section 6 of the 1960 Ordinance.

Permission is needed.
 
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