Merawakil
Know your rights

The law, in plain language.

Short, statute-sourced explainers on the things people most often walk in confused about — an FIR, a khula, an inheritance share, a tenancy, a consumer complaint.

Filing an FIR

An FIR (First Information Report) is the report that sets a criminal case in motion.

  • An FIR for a cognizable offence is registered by the police under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. You are entitled to a copy of it, free of charge.
  • If the police decline to register an FIR, the law provides remedies — an application to a senior police officer, and a petition to a magistrate under section 22-A/22-B CrPC.
  • Bail is time-sensitive. Pre-arrest bail is dealt with under section 498 CrPC and post-arrest bail under section 497. If someone has been arrested, engaging a lawyer the same day matters more than finding the cheapest one.

Khula & divorce

A Muslim marriage can be ended by talaq, by khula, or by a decree of a family court.

  • Khula is the wife's right to seek dissolution of marriage through the Family Court under the Family Courts Act 1964 and the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939.
  • A talaq is generally effective once notice is given to the chairman of the union council, which begins a reconciliation period under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961; a divorce certificate is issued at its end.
  • Custody and guardianship of children are decided separately, in the welfare of the child, under the Guardians and Wards Act 1890. Maintenance for a wife or child is claimed in the same family jurisdiction.

Inheritance shares

Succession to a deceased person's estate opens automatically on death.

  • Shares in a Muslim estate are determined under Islamic law of inheritance; a legal heir does not need anyone's permission to inherit their share.
  • A succession certificate (for debts and securities) or a letter of administration is obtained to collect and distribute the estate; NADRA also issues a computerised succession certificate.
  • The right of a legal heir cannot be defeated by a transfer made to exclude them. Where an heir has been left out of the record, the remedy is a suit for inheritance and correction of the revenue record.

Tenancy & rent

Rent and tenancy are governed by provincial law, so the office and the rule depend on where the property is.

  • Rent disputes are heard by the designated rent controller under the applicable provincial rent legislation, not by the ordinary civil court in the first instance.
  • A landlord can seek eviction only on the grounds the rent law allows — default in rent, personal bona fide need, or the tenant's breach among them.
  • Keep a written tenancy agreement and proof of every rent payment. In a dispute, the receipt is often the single most important document in the file.

Consumer rights

Consumer protection is a provincial subject, with a dedicated forum in most provinces.

  • Each province has its own consumer-protection legislation and consumer courts to hear complaints about defective goods and deficient services.
  • Keep the invoice, the warranty card and any correspondence with the seller; a consumer complaint usually has a limitation period running from the date of the defect or the deficiency.
  • For a regulated service — a bank, a telecom operator, a utility — there is often a sector regulator to approach before or alongside the consumer court.

These explainers state general principles and name the governing statutes; they are legal information, not legal advice, and procedure is amended provincially in several of these areas. For your own matter, use the guidance finder and confirm the current position with an enrolled advocate.

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