Saeed Ahmad and another V. Mst. Anwar Sultana and others,
PLJ 2018 Quetta 19 · Balochistan High Court
This case involved a dispute among the children and widows of a deceased government health officer, Dr. Muhammad Abu Amar, who had three wives and several children. After his death, some of his heirs (from his first and third wives) claimed that he had, during his lifetime, gifted his properties to them, and had the revenue records transferred accordingly. Two other heirs, his son from a second wife and that wife herself, filed a suit for declaration, cancellation of the gift-related revenue entries, possession, and permanent injunction, arguing they were being unfairly excluded from their rightful share of the inheritance. The trial court dismissed their suit, accepting the respondents' claim of a valid gift.
On appeal, the Balochistan High Court overturned the trial court's decision. The High Court held that every legal heir is entitled to a proportionate share of their predecessor's estate, and this right is not extinguished simply because the deceased gifted property to some heirs without the consent of the others. In other words, a gift made by a parent to some children cannot be used to completely deprive other legal heirs of their inheritance rights. The appeal was accepted, and the case was decided in favor of the appellants.
This judgment is significant because it reinforces the principle under Islamic inheritance law that all legal heirs have protected rights to their share of an estate, which cannot simply be bypassed through unilateral gifts to favored heirs.
یہ مقدمہ ایک مرحوم سرکاری صحت افسر، ڈاکٹر محمد ابو عمر، کے ورثاء اور بیواؤں کے درمیان ایک تنازعے سے متعلق تھا، جن کی تین بیویاں اور کئی بچے تھے۔ ان کی وفات کے بعد، ان کے کچھ ورثاء نے (جو ان کی پہلی اور تیسری بیویوں سے تھے) دعویٰ کیا کہ مرحوم نے اپنی زندگی میں اپنی جائیدادیں انہیں ہبہ کر دی تھیں اور اس کے مطابق ریونیو ریکارڈ میں تبدیلی بھی کروا دی تھی۔ دو دیگر ورثاء، یعنی ان کی دوسری بیوی سے بیٹا اور خود وہ بیوی، نے ڈکلیریشن، ہبہ سے متعلق ریونیو اندراجات کی منسوخی، قبضہ، اور مستقل حکمِ امتناعی کے لیے دعویٰ دائر کیا، اور یہ موقف اختیار کیا کہ انہیں ان کے جائز وراثتی حصے سے ناانصافی کے ساتھ محروم کیا جا رہا ہے۔ ٹرائل کورٹ نے مدعا علیہان کے ہبے کے دعوے کو درست تسلیم کرتے ہوئے ان کا دعویٰ خارج کر دیا۔
اپیل پر بلوچستان ہائی کورٹ نے ٹرائل کورٹ کے فیص