Family Protection Lawyer in Pakistan

Yes. The Prevention of Anti-Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Act 2011 inserted Chapter XXA, Offences against Women, into the Pakistan Penal Code, and section 498B criminalises forced marriage. Separately, section 310A punishes anyone who gives a female in marriage, or compels her to marry, as badal-e-sulh, wanni or swara in consideration of settling a civil dispute or criminal liability, with imprisonment of not less than three years and up to seven years, and a fine of five hundred thousand rupees.

They are customary practices in which a girl or woman is given in marriage to a rival family to settle a dispute — often a killing or a serious quarrel — in place of compensation. Section 310A covers them by name, along with badal-e-sulh and any other custom or practice serving the same purpose, whatever it is called locally. The consent of the woman is irrelevant to the offence.

No. The criminal offence is complete whether or not the marriage went ahead, so a prosecution is not barred by the nikah having been performed. Separately, the marriage itself can be addressed through family law proceedings. Take advice quickly, because the routes available and the evidence that supports them both change as time passes.

It depends on the province. Sindh set the minimum age at eighteen for both parties under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013, while the minimum age for females remains sixteen in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Punjab amended the Child Marriage Restraint Act in 2015, and a separate statute was enacted for the Islamabad Capital Territory in 2025. Confirm the position for the province where the marriage is to take place.

Not lawfully. Section 498A of the Penal Code makes it an offence to deprive a woman of inheritance by deceitful or illegal means at the time of the opening of succession, carrying imprisonment of not less than five years and up to ten years, or a fine of one million rupees, or both. Deprivation of inheritance is a criminal offence, not merely a civil dispute.

Possibly. A relinquishment obtained by deceit, misrepresentation or coercion can be challenged, and the surrounding conduct may itself amount to an offence under section 498A. What matters is the circumstances in which the document was signed, what you were told, and what you received. Bring the document, or a description of it, to the first meeting.

No, not since 2016. The Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences in the name or pretext of Honour) Act 2016 brought honour-based offences within the scope of fasad-fil-arz under section 299 of the Penal Code. Under section 311 the court retains power to punish an offender against whom the right of qisas has been waived or compounded, and the proviso provides for imprisonment for life where the offence was committed in the name or on the pretext of honour. The Peshawar High Court confirmed in April 2026 that a compromise by legal heirs carries no legal weight in such cases.

Yes. The Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act 2011 inserted sections 336A and 336B into the Penal Code, creating a specific offence of hurt caused by a corrosive substance with substantially increased punishment, and separate controls were introduced on the sale and handling of acid. These cases turn heavily on medico-legal evidence gathered early.

No. The provincial domestic violence statutes reach beyond physical violence. In Punjab, the Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016 covers psychological abuse, economic abuse, stalking and cybercrime, and the court may pass protection, residence and monetary orders without any criminal conviction first.

There are routes that do not depend on the police acting. The provincial protection statutes allow a complaint to be made directly to the court, and there are remedies available where a station house officer declines to register a cognisable offence. Refusal at the police station is a common experience, and it is not the end of the matter.

No, although several statutes are framed specifically around women. Chapter XXA of the Penal Code is headed Offences against Women, and the Punjab Act is framed around a female aggrieved person. The Sindh and Balochistan domestic violence statutes extend to women, children and other vulnerable persons, and child protection and guardianship law applies regardless of gender. Anyone at risk should take advice on what applies in their province.

Less than most people assume at the outset, and more than they can gather later. Messages, call records, photographs, medical records, financial records, property documents, the Nikah Nama, and the names of anyone who witnessed events all matter. The single most useful thing you can do before the first meeting is stop deleting things. We will tell you what to preserve and how.

You describe the situation at whatever level of detail you are able to give, and we explain which remedies exist where you live and what each would involve. Nothing is filed, nothing is sent to anyone, and you are not asked to decide anything on the day. Many people come once, take the information away, and return months later.

It is the right question to ask, and it deserves a considered answer rather than reassurance. Some steps are visible to the other side and some are not. We set out what each option involves, what the other party will learn and when, and what protective measures can run alongside it, before anything is filed.

It depends which route you take, and this is worth understanding before you begin rather than after. Civil protection proceedings are generally within your control. Criminal proceedings are not entirely, because once an offence is reported the state has its own role, and some offences cannot simply be compromised. We will explain which of your options can be reversed and which cannot.

Sometimes, and it depends on the remedy. Criminal offences under the Penal Code may be reported by others. Civil protection orders generally require the complaint to come from, or be authorised by, the person affected. Where a child is at risk, separate child protection and guardianship routes apply. We will tell you plainly which remedies are open to you and which are not.

Yes. We advise families in the United Kingdom, the Gulf, North America and Europe on which provincial regime applies, what can be pursued on instruction under a special power of attorney, and what requires the person affected to come forward themselves. We will say plainly where a remedy is closed rather than let you spend months finding out.