Appeal Planned In Pakistan Court's Expansion of Grounds For Christian Divorce

Christians in Pakistan  (May 26) reports that a Christian leader will appeal to Pakistan's Apex Court a ruling handed down on May 23 by the Lahore High Court that expanded the grounds for Christian divorce in the country.  The Pakistan's Christian Divorce Act of 1869 allowed Christians to divorce in accordance with the procedures of British law.  However in 1981 General Zia-ul-Haq annulled that provision and limited the grounds for Christian divorce to adultery.  Now a High Court judge has ruled that the 1981 change was unconstitutional, reviving the ability of Christian couples to divorce on additional grounds found in British law, including divorce if the marriage has become irreparable. As reported by Christian Daily (May 26), some Christians feel that the expanded grounds for divorce mar the sanctity of marriage.