Towards Marriage as a Partnership: Matrimonial Property under Muslim Family Law in Pakistan
There are broadly two ways of thinking about marriage in Islamic law. The first sees it as a relationship of ownership: the husband holds effective control, reflected in his absolute...
Weaponized Legalism and the Promise-Performance Gap: Press Suppression in Transitional Democracies: Part 2 – Comparative Global South Perspectives
In Part 1, I examined how Bangladesh’s interim government weaponized legal frameworks to suppress the press; Part 2 broadens the lens to parallel patterns across the wider Global South and...
The Shadow of ‘Honour’: Persistent Violence and the Imperative of Human Rights in South Asia
The fragility of the right to life in Pakistan was starkly highlighted on July 21, 2025, when Pakistani authorities reported the arrest of 11 individuals in connection with the ‘honour...
Pakistan’s New Constitutional Court and the Importance of Institutional Independence
Typically, specialised constitutional courts are regarded as effective institutional protectors of democracy and human rights because of their increased efficiency, specialised knowledge and positive impact on constitutional culture. However, this...
Reassessing Corporate Due Diligence Standards in Dual-Use Technology Supply Chains
Amnesty International’s recent report “Shadows of Control” documents how companies from Germany, the UAE, Canada, China, the US, and France have supplied surveillance and censorship technologies to Pakistan: technologies now...
Right to Children’s Identity in Pakistan
The right of children to identity is globally recognized, with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) emphasizing its critical importance. As a signatory to this...
A Decolonial Jurisprudence in Making – the Right of a Woman to Dissolve a Marriage in Pakistan
Recently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan handed down a judgment, titled Dr. Seema Hanif Khan v.Waqas Khan and others, that may prove more significant than its immediate legal consequences suggest....
The Draconian Public Order Act – Protests Crackdown In Pakistan
The political instability in Pakistan is not unsurprising. However, the recent draconian crackdown on the protests in the capital, Islamabad, raises serious concerns and outcries. The Public Order Act enacted...
A Road to Safety: Addressing Domestic Violence in Sindh, Pakistan
An increasing number of Pakistani women are turning to legal avenues to address domestic violence (DV). However, significant implementation gaps remain. The province of Sindh adopted a comprehensive roadmap to...
The Ahmadiyya in Pakistan: Religious Persecution, Human Rights, and Islam
The Ahmadiyya are a religious minority who suffer persecution in Pakistan and many other Muslim-majority countries. In 2023, for example, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that at least...
Lahore High Court Strikes Down the Discriminatory Gender-Based Age Difference in the Definition of ‘Child’ in the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929
About 18.3% of girls and 4.7% of boys in Pakistan are married before the age of 18. Child marriage is a human rights violation which affects both genders. However, it...
Supreme Court of Pakistan Holds that the Courts Cannot Pass a Decree of Khula Without a Woman’s Consent
Khula is not a favourable method of divorce for women because they are compelled to return their dower. Under the Muslim Law, dower is the sum of money or property...
