The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that Haq Mehr is a fundamental legal right of a wife and must be fulfilled by the husband. The court made the observation while dismissing a constitutional petition related to a family dispute over the payment of marriage obligations.
In a detailed 10-page judgment, Justice Muzammil Akhtar Shabbir stated that a wife has the legal right to live separately from her husband until the complete payment of Haq Mehr is made. The court also emphasized that after marriage, the responsibility for a wife’s maintenance and financial support rests entirely with the husband.
The ruling came in response to a petition filed by Irfan Sarfraz. The petitioner challenged decisions made by lower courts regarding the payment of Haq Mehr and related claims. However, the high court found no grounds to interfere with the decisions already made by the family courts.
According to the judgment, the petitioner failed to prove that the lower courts had exceeded their legal authority. The court noted that assessing evidence and determining facts are matters that fall within the jurisdiction of family courts.
During the proceedings, the petitioner claimed that he had paid Rs400,000 in exchange for four kanals of agricultural land. However, the court observed that he failed to provide any reliable evidence or payment receipts to support the claim.
The judge remarked that it would be unreasonable to believe that such a large financial transaction took place without any documentary proof. The petitioner also referred to two witnesses but did not present them before the court during the proceedings.
Court records showed that the marriage took place in 2015. In 2016, the wife filed a claim seeking her marriage entitlements, including five tolas of gold, four kanals of agricultural land, and a five-marla house as part of her Haq Mehr.
The appellate court had previously ordered the petitioner to provide the specified Haq Mehr items and also pay Rs300,000 in dowry-related expenses. The Lahore High Court reviewed the matter and upheld key parts of the earlier rulings.
The judgment also noted that the dispute regarding the five-marla house had already been settled. Lawyers representing both parties confirmed that the matter had been resolved.
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Legal experts say the ruling reinforces the importance of fulfilling marriage-related financial obligations and highlights the legal protections available to women under Pakistan’s family laws. The decision also underlines the need for proper documentation when making financial claims before the courts.
