Pakistan, Sept. 23 -- Supreme Court has held that dower (Haq Mehr) is a mandatory legal right arising from marriage and constitutes the exclusive property of the wife, which neither the husband nor his relatives can extinguish or have waived without her free consent.

The court further held that a nikahnama is not merely a government record but constitutes official evidence of the marriage and its pre-agreed terms and conditions.

A four-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed laid down important legal principles concerning Muslim marriage, dower and nikahnama while deciding CPLA No. 372-P/2019 and other connected matters. The bench also comprised Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan....