WEB DESK: Rawalpindi’s district family courts have reported a notable increase in ‘free will marriages’ during the first half of 2024, indicating a trend among young couples to choose marriages outside traditional family arrangements.
The district’s family courts are currently facing a substantial backlog of familial cases. Between June 1 and June 30 alone, 6,935 cases were filed, resulting in 3,718 divorce decrees and orders for 61 women to reconcile with their husbands, according to a report published in the Express Tribune.
Additionally, 189 husbands filed lawsuits in an attempt to repair their relationships with estranged wives. The courts facilitated the return of 174 children to their mothers after being taken away by their fathers. In 115 cases, courts ordered husbands to provide maintenance expenses for their wives’ financial needs.
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Court records reveal that 561 women opted to marry outside of traditional family arrangements, formalising their unions in courts. The first half of 2024 witnessed a 10 per cent to 12 per cent increase in the number of couples choosing such marriages.
Currently, there are 12,000 pending familial cases, with each family court judge handling 50 to 65 cases daily.
Speaking to the newspaper, Advocate Asad Abbasi, Chairman of the Punjab Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee, emphasised the importance of parental guidance in life-altering decisions like marriage. He noted that marriages founded on false promises are unlikely to succeed.
