A British Pakistani woman who says her former husband harassed her on the premises of a Lahore sessions court has won the latest round of the Lahore maintenance case, after the High Court upheld a family court award of Rs100,000 a month for each of her three daughters.
The woman, Laleen, told police that her former husband confronted her with unidentified men as she left a courtroom, abused her and threatened her, even inside the judge’s chamber. She has appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to intervene.
The High Court has now dismissed the father’s appeal against the maintenance award. It ruled that a father cannot escape his financial duty by hiding his assets and income, and that support for children must match their needs, their social background, their schooling and the father’s means.
What the Lahore maintenance case decided
A family court had awarded each daughter Rs100,000 a month from January 2017, along with educational expenses and a 10 per cent annual increase. The father challenged the award, arguing that the amount was excessive and beyond his means.
The Lahore High Court disagreed. It held that the educational expenses reflected the standard of living the children had enjoyed before the marital dispute, and that a father could not lower that standard simply because the children now lived with their mother.
Laleen obtained a khula, or judicial divorce, from her former husband seven years ago. A guardian court had already decided the custody of the three daughters in her favour, and that decision attained finality.
But the money has still not reached the children. Execution proceedings are pending, and the court noted that delays at that stage defeat the very purpose of adjudication. In a recent judgement, the High Court observed that prolonged enforcement proceedings reduce court judgements to “mere paper declarations”.
Harassment alleged on court premises
In her application to Islampura police, Laleen said she had visited the sessions court for a hearing in the maintenance case against her former husband, a businessman. She said that on leaving the courtroom, her former husband and unidentified men confronted her.
She alleged that the men harassed her, hurled verbal abuse and kept issuing threats even in the judge’s chamber. According to the complaint, filed on October 23, her former husband repeatedly demanded custody of the daughters, issued death threats and physically shoved her.
She also alleged that the suspects stopped her from dialling the police helpline 15, leaving her in severe mental distress before she managed to escape. She said she gave police video evidence of the incident.
The inquiry officer at Islampura Police Station told Dawn that the matter had been investigated but that no cognisable offence was made out. Laleen said police were reluctant to register a case despite the evidence she provided.
Appeal to the chief minister
Laleen has appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, urging her to intervene and ensure justice. “I have been cleared in numerous malicious cases,” she said. “Given CM Maryam Nawaz’s work for women and children, I request her support in the matter.”
She also seeks the removal of her youngest daughter’s name from the Exit Control List.
The case underlines a gap in family litigation. Courts often decide maintenance on time, yet the real hardship begins at the execution stage, when decrees wait months or years to be enforced. The High Court said as much in its judgement.
The same court ruled this week that daughters remain eligible for family pension, a decision that also turned on the financial rights of daughters. The two rulings, days apart, show the Lahore High Court taking a firm line on support owed to girls and women.
Parliament is separately pressing for stronger protections. A National Assembly panel has urged the government to pursue a review of the workplace harassment law after a court verdict narrowed its scope. A Haripur court handed down a 32-year sentence this week, and bail was granted in a US stamps case involving a family.
For Laleen, the judgement settles the amount her daughters are owed. Whether the money reaches them now depends on the execution proceedings, and on whether police act on her complaint about the court premises incident.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Lahore High Court decide?
The court dismissed the father’s appeal and upheld a family court award of Rs100,000 a month for each of the three daughters, from January 2017, plus educational expenses and a 10 per cent annual increase.
Why has the money not been paid?
Execution proceedings are still pending, so the children have yet to receive the maintenance. The High Court observed that delays in enforcing decrees defeat the purpose of adjudication.
What did the woman allege at the sessions court?
Laleen alleged that her former husband and unidentified men confronted her outside the courtroom, abused her, issued death threats and physically shoved her, and kept threatening her even in the judge’s chamber. She said she gave police video evidence.
What has she asked the chief minister to do?
She appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to intervene and ensure justice, and she seeks the removal of her youngest daughter’s name from the Exit Control List.
