Poor family structure leading to divorce in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi : The rising number of couples seeking divorce through the family courts in the district since an amendment made in the family laws in 2002 has reached an alarming proportion and the experts believe that it’s is not the ‘poverty’, but the poor family structure, acceptance, and misunderstandings the major reasons for divorce. Over 550 couples got divorce effectiveness certificates from Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) limits only in the past six months.

The MCR implemented the court orders and issued divorce effectiveness certificates to 550 couples besides registering 6,000 marriages during this period.

Over 250 couples have filed applications in Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) for issuance of ‘Khula’ certificates.

The Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) has also launched ‘Baldia Online’ where people could directly approach Council Officer to get their issues resolved. ‘Baldia Online’ will directly monitor Secretary Local Government. People could get divorce effectiveness certificates, birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates within days.

According to Judicial Complex Officials, over 2,900 divorce cases are yet pending here in family courts, Rawalpindi while four to five new divorce cases are continuously being filed on regular basis.

Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) Council Officer (CO) Noshia Afzal told ‘The News’ that even highly educated couples are divorcing each other. “Divorce ratio is increasing to an alarming level but couples are not ready to bear each other,” she denounced. She has strongly condemned divorce adding society accepts it and is not taking this issue seriously. She said that even highly educated couples do not want to live with each other and are seeking separation.

She said, after court orders, they give 90 days to both the parties and issue three notices to them for reconsidering their decision. “But, it is unfortunate over 95 per cent of couples do not agree to live together insisting on the issuance of divorce effectiveness certificates,” she said. The MCR councillor officer said that dozens of men have filed applications for second marriage but, they do not allow them to solemnise a second marriage without a genuine reason. She said that ‘poverty’ was not the reason for divorce but the poor family structure, acceptance, and misunderstanding are the major reasons for divorce.

According to Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi, the civic body has registered 650 Molvis (religious clerics) for ‘Nikkah’ in 76 Union Councils of Rawalpindi. The women could settle down all genuine issues like ‘Haq Mehar’ (dower), dowry, and several other issues by filing applications through ‘Baldia Online’.

Only in six months, over 550 couples got divorce effectiveness certificates, 6,090 couples got their marriages registered, over 250 couples filed applications for issuance of ‘Khula’ certificates, 3,012 death certificates were issued between July to November whole a total 4,717 boys and 3,672 girls were born in MCR limits.