The Supreme Court of Pakistan has made a landmark decision giving divorced daughters the right to receive a family pension.
This decision cancels out a previous Sindh government order that stopped daughters from claiming a pension if they got divorced after their father, the pensioner, had passed away.
Justice Ayesha Malik wrote a detailed verdict explaining why this order was unfair and went against the Constitution. She pointed out that the rule wrongly assumed a woman’s financial support depends only on her marital status, which is a narrow and outdated idea.
The judgment says that tying a daughter’s right to her father’s pension with her marriage status is an unfair practice that ignores the real financial problems women often face. Many women struggle to support themselves after divorce, and blocking their right to a family pension makes their situation worse.
The court clearly said that women must be seen as individuals who have their own rights. They should not be treated as dependents who lose support just because they were married.
This decision is a big step forward for women’s economic rights in Pakistan, recognizing that a woman’s need for financial security does not vanish because of her marriage or divorce.
The ruling has been praised by rights activists, who believe it will help many divorced women get the financial help they deserve. The Supreme Court’s decision sets an important example for equal rights and fair treatment under the law.
