Islamabad, Dec 11: Pakistan for the first time will be introducing special marriage legislation for the Sikh community, caretaker Law Minister Afzal Haider has said.

Haider told reporters that the legislation would meet a long-standing demand of the community, as no legislation governing marriages of followers of the Sikh religion existed in the country.

"In fact the contemplated law would be the first such legislation anywhere in the world, including India, where Sikh marriages were solemnised under Hindu Marriages Act, " he said.

Haider said that the proposed Sikh Marriages Ordinance, 2007 would be promulgated soon.

Under the ordinance, members of the Sikh community from any part of the world could come to Pakistan to solemnise marriage and get it registered, he added.

Six places would be specified under the ordinance for solemnising marriages of members of the Sikh community. These places are Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Nankana Sahib.

Haider said that the number of places for solemnising marriages could be increased in consultation with the Sikh representatives in Pakistan.

He said that delegations of Sikh community had met him and expressed their gratitude for the government’s initiative to enact the special law.

"I have also received a string of phone calls from Sikhs in India, Canada and other places who expressed their happiness, " the Daily Times quoted Haider, as saying. (ANI)