Pakistan Law Library

The supreme law of Pakistan. Establishes fundamental rights, federal structure, separation of powers, and the constitutional framework for all legislation.

Pakistan's main substantive criminal law. Defines every major offence from homicide (§302) and theft (§378) to contempt of authority, with punishments for each.

Procedural law governing every stage of a criminal case: FIR registration, arrest, remand, bail, trial, appeal, and execution of sentences.

Defines terrorist acts and establishes Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATC). Provides expedited trial procedures and enhanced punishments for terrorism-related offences.

Regulates production, possession, and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Sets penalties from fines to death for large-scale trafficking.

Prescribes Hadd and Tazir punishments for theft (Sarqah), robbery (Hirabah), and related property offences under Islamic jurisprudence.

Foundation of commercial law. Governs offer, acceptance, consideration, void and voidable contracts, breach, damages, and quasi-contracts.

Procedural law for all civil litigation. Covers jurisdiction, plaints, written statements, issues, trials, decrees, appeals, and execution of civil court orders.

Governs the transfer of immovable and movable property inter vivos: sale, mortgage, charge, lease, exchange, gift, and actionable claims.

Provides courts the power to enforce specific performance of contracts and grant injunctions where monetary compensation is insufficient remedy.

Sets mandatory time limits within which civil suits, appeals, and applications must be filed. Failure to comply extinguishes the right to sue.

Pakistan's law of evidence. Governs admissibility of facts, documentary and oral evidence, burden of proof, estoppel, and the competency of witnesses in all courts.

Governs landlord-tenant relations in Islamabad Capital Territory. Regulates eviction grounds, fair rent fixation, and dispute resolution via Rent Controller.

Governs arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. Covers arbitration agreements, awards, remission, setting aside, and enforcement through courts.

Mandates stamp duty on legal documents including agreements, conveyances, mortgages, and leases. Unstamped instruments are inadmissible as evidence.

Requires compulsory registration of instruments relating to immovable property. Unregistered documents affecting land rights cannot be received as evidence.

Pakistan's primary cybercrime law. Criminalises unauthorised access, data theft, cyber stalking, online defamation, and hate speech. Establishes digital forensics and data preservation powers.

Provides legal recognition to electronic documents, digital signatures, and electronic contracts. Foundation for e-commerce and online banking legality in Pakistan.

Regulates marriage registration, polygamy (requires Arbitration Council approval), talaq notice procedure, maintenance, and inheritance rights of widows and orphans.

Establishes Family Courts with exclusive jurisdiction over dissolution of marriage, dower, maintenance, custody, and guardianship disputes.

Governs appointment and removal of guardians for minors, management of minors' property, and the welfare principle in custody matters.

Enumerates grounds on which a Muslim woman may obtain judicial dissolution of her marriage (khula, cruelty, desertion, failure to maintain, and others).

Applies Muslim personal law (Shariat) to all Muslims in Pakistan for matters of succession, inheritance, and family rights, superseding customary law.

Governs trade union formation, collective bargaining, and labour dispute resolution. Establishes the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) and Labour Courts.

Regulates working conditions in factories: hours of work, rest intervals, health, safety, welfare, and employment restrictions for women and young persons.

Mandates employers to compensate workers or their dependants for injury, disability, or death arising in the course of employment, including schedule of rates.

Establishes EOBI to provide old-age pensions, invalidity pensions, survivor's pensions, and old-age grants to insured industrial workers on retirement.

Regulates timely payment of wages to industrial workers, prohibits unauthorised deductions, and provides remedies for wrongful withholding of wages.

Ensures health, safety, and welfare of persons employed in mines. Governs inspection, working hours, rescue operations, and liability of mine owners and managers.

Prohibits employment of children below 14 in hazardous occupations listed in its schedules. Sets working hour limits and penalties for employers in violation.

Abolishes bonded labour in Pakistan, cancels bonded debts, frees bonded labourers from obligation, and imposes penalties on those who enforce such arrangements.

Regulates employment conditions in commercial establishments, shops, and offices: opening hours, rest intervals, annual leave entitlements, and overtime payments.

Comprehensive corporate law governing incorporation, governance, accounts, audits, mergers, winding-up, and the rights of shareholders and creditors of companies in Pakistan.

Governs the issuance, trading, and regulation of securities in Pakistan. Establishes investor protection, insider trading prohibitions, and SECP's supervisory powers.

Promotes free competition and prohibits monopolistic practices, abuse of dominant position, and deceptive market conduct. Administered by the Competition Commission of Pakistan.

Defines and governs the rights, duties, and liabilities of partners in a firm. Covers formation, dissolution, and registration of partnerships in Pakistan.

Governs promissory notes, bills of exchange, and cheques — their execution, negotiation, dishonour, notice requirements, and liability of all parties.

Provides for registration and protection of trade marks. Governs infringement, passing-off, assignment, licensing, and border control measures for counterfeit goods.

Protects original literary, artistic, musical, and dramatic works. Defines copyright ownership, duration, infringement, fair dealing, and criminal penalties.

Grants exclusive patent rights for novel inventions for a 20-year term. Covers application, examination, compulsory licensing, and revocation proceedings.

Primary direct tax legislation. Covers chargeability, heads of income, allowable deductions, tax rates, withholding obligations, assessment, and appeals before FBR and tribunals.

Levies value-added tax on supply of goods and imports. Governs registration, filing, input tax credits, zero-rating, exemptions, and enforcement by FBR.

Governs import and export of goods across Pakistan's borders. Covers customs duties, valuation, tariff classification, seizure, adjudication, and clearance procedures.

Imposes federal excise duty on specified goods produced or imported and on scheduled services. Governs assessment, collection, and enforcement by FBR.

Establishes NAB to detect, investigate, and prosecute corruption and financial crimes by public officeholders. Governs accountability courts, plea bargains, and asset recovery.

Governs recruitment, appointment, promotion, transfer, disciplinary proceedings, and service rights of civil servants employed by the federal government.

Provides the procedure for compulsory acquisition of private land for public purposes. Covers compensation assessment, possession, the Collector's award, and court references.

Restructures the police service to ensure civilian oversight. Establishes Public Safety Commissions, Police Complaints Authorities, and defines police powers and accountability.

Guarantees citizens the right to access information held by federal public bodies. Establishes the Pakistan Information Commission to enforce disclosure requests and hear appeals.

Defines acquisition and termination of Pakistani citizenship by birth, descent, registration, and naturalisation. Sets rules on dual nationality and renunciation.

Governs elections to the National Assembly, Senate, and Provincial Assemblies. Covers electoral rolls, nomination requirements, polling procedure, and election dispute tribunals.

Defines civil and criminal contempt of court, sets punishments including fine and imprisonment, and provides procedure for contempt proceedings before superior courts of Pakistan.

Regulates possession, manufacture, sale, import and export of arms and ammunition in Pakistan. Defines licensing requirements and offences for unlicensed possession of firearms.

Regulates the import, export, manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of drugs and medicines in Pakistan. Establishes licensing, quality control, and penal provisions for adulteration and spurious drugs.

Governs registration of motor vehicles, driving licences, permits for public transport, traffic regulations, and liability for accidents on public roads across Pakistan.

Consolidates the law of intestate and testamentary succession for non-Muslims in Pakistan. Governs wills, codicils, executors, administrators, probate, and distribution of estates.

Defines the age of majority in Pakistan as 18 years (or 21 if under court guardianship). Determines when a person attains full legal capacity to contract, sue, and hold property.

Establishes the State Bank of Pakistan as the central bank. Defines its functions including monetary policy, currency issuance, regulation of banking sector, and foreign exchange management.

Regulates the establishment, operation, and winding up of banking companies in Pakistan. Governs licensing, capital requirements, audits, inspections, and powers of the State Bank over commercial banks.

Defines civil and criminal defamation in Pakistan. Covers libel, slander, defences including truth and fair comment, remedies, and the procedure for defamation suits and complaints.

Provides for the treatment, care and rehabilitation of mentally disordered persons. Establishes mental health authorities, regulates admission to psychiatric facilities, protects patients' rights and property.

Regulates dealings in foreign exchange, securities and import-export payments in Pakistan. Controls transactions involving foreign currency and gold, and establishes penalties for violations.

Governs the administration, management and development of Waqf (Islamic charitable endowment) properties in Pakistan. Establishes the Auqaf Department and defines mutawalli rights and obligations.

Provides the legal framework for supply of electricity in Pakistan, licensing of electrical undertakings, laying of electric lines, inspections and penalties for electricity theft and unsafe installations.

Regulates the insurance industry in Pakistan. Governs registration of insurers, solvency requirements, policy conditions, claims settlement, role of SECP as regulator, and wind-up of insurance companies.

Establishes the compulsory collection and distribution of Zakat (2.5% on savings) and Ushr (agricultural tithe) in Pakistan. Creates Zakat Funds, Central and Local Zakat Committees, and defines mustahiq (eligible recipients).

Prescribes the fees payable on plaints, appeals, applications, and other documents filed in courts. Valuation of suits for fee purposes and consequences of underpayment of court fees.