Family
Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 plus separate minority personal laws
Muslim family matters follow the 1961 Ordinance with divorce notified to the Union Council. Christians, Hindus and Parsis have their own statutes, and Hindu marriage was only given a federal statute in 2017.
Governing law
- Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961
- Family Courts Act, 1964
- Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939
- Hindu Marriage Act, 2017
- Christian Marriage Act, 1872
In practice
Talaq requires written notice to the Union Council chairman and becomes effective ninety days later; failure to notify has generated substantial litigation about validity. A wife may obtain khula through the Family Court. Polygamy requires Arbitration Council permission. Child marriage restraint is legislated provincially — Sindh set eighteen for both sexes, while other provinces retain sixteen for girls, so the applicable minimum age genuinely depends on the province.