Divorce Happens even when legal requirements are not met properly
PLJ 2011 Lahore 253 · Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench)
This case involved a husband working in Germany and his wife in Pakistan, who sued for maintenance allowance for herself and their son, and for her dower money. The wife claimed her husband had stopped supporting them after moving abroad and had hidden the fact that he was already married with children in Germany. The husband argued he had divorced her in March 2000 under Islamic law, and so owed nothing further.
The Family Court ruled in the wife's favor, ordering him to pay maintenance for her during her iddat period (the waiting period after divorce) and for the child until custody changed. On appeal, the wife's claim was extended to cover the period from 1997 to 2000. The husband then challenged these decisions before the Lahore High Court.
The High Court upheld the lower courts' decisions. It noted that the husband himself admitted in his written statement that he had divorced his wife without notifying the local Union Council Chairman, as legally required under the Muslim Family Law Ordinance, 1961. Despite this procedural lapse, the divorce was still treated as having taken effect, triggering the wife's entitlement to maintenance through her iddat period. The court also found the husband had substantial financial resources, including property and foreign benefits, making the maintenance amount reasonable rather than excessive.
This case matters because it illustrates that a divorce can be recognized as valid in practice even when the legal notification requirement is not fulfilled, while still carrying financial obligations like maintenance and dower for the wife.
یہ مقدمہ ایک ایسے شوہر سے متعلق تھا جو جرمنی میں ملازمت کرتا تھا جبکہ اس کی بیوی پاکستان میں مقیم تھی۔ بیوی نے اپنے اور اپنے بیٹے کے لیے نان و نفقہ اور اپنے مہر کی ادائیگی کے لیے دعویٰ دائر کیا۔ بیوی کا موقف تھا کہ شوہر نے بیرون ملک جانے کے بعد ان کا خرچہ دینا بند کر دیا تھا اور یہ حقیقت چھپائی تھی کہ وہ جرمنی میں پہلے ہی شادی شدہ ہے اور اس کے بچے بھی ہیں۔ شوہر کا مؤقف تھا کہ اس نے مارچ 2000ء میں اسلامی قانون کے تحت بیوی کو طلاق دے دی تھی، لہٰذا اس پر مزید کوئی ذمہ داری عائد نہیں ہوتی۔
فیملی کورٹ نے بیوی کے حق میں فیصلہ دیتے ہوئے شوہر کو حکم دیا کہ وہ بیوی کو عدت کے دوران (طلاق کے بعد کی عدت کی مدت) اور بیٹے کو اس وقت تک نان و نفقہ ادا کرے جب تک اس کی سرپرستی تبدیل نہ ہو جائے۔ اپیل کی سطح پر بیوی کے دعوے کو بڑھا کر 1997ء سے 2000ء تک کی مدت کو ب