With 4,980 new family cases filed in Rawalpindi’s 44 family courts between January 1 and June 30, the district of Rawalpindi saw a record rise in divorces and domestic conflicts in 2025.
There are 26,980 family cases pending trial in the district at the moment. In 1,170 of the new cases, the ladies (khula) sought divorce.
Children stolen from moms were restored in 121 situations. In addition, 1,069 women received child support while their petitions were pending, and courts decided in favor of 310 women who were demanding dowry and dower (haq mehr).
While 320 couples were granted a week to make amends through a Jirga (tribal jirga), 27 cases had estranged wives being compelled to return to their marital homes.
Each family court currently hears 90 to 110 cases every day due to the volume of cases.
According to a recent poll, divorce rates among Pakistani couples who marry outside are also rising. According to experts, social alienation and the growing tendency of foreign marriages are to blame.
Traditional conflict resolution has been affected by social media, according to retired judge Shaukat Ali Sajid. Elders used to arbitrate conflicts, but these days, women frequently go straight to court over trivial matters, which exacerbates tensions.
Kaneez Fatima Advocate, a family law expert, also stated that moral degeneration has resulted from parents providing young girls with smartphones without proper instruction.
When ladies learn that their spouses have misrepresented their financial situation or level of education, many love marriages end in divorce.
In line with Islamic principles, advocate Sibtain Bukhari emphasized early marriages and cautioned that some women who file for divorce already have a new potential spouse involved in their case, even paying for legal fees. Legal experts advocated for more prudence in cross-family unions and a renewed focus on family-arranged marriages.
