LAHORE: The number of family courts has been doubled in Lahore from six to 12 after witnessing a rise in divorces as more than 11,000 women sought dissolution of marriage during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
The family courts have been increased in numbers from six to 12 in Lahore during the past four years due to an increase in divorce cases, according to a sessions judge.
The development was reported by a private news channel, Samaa TV’s programme Qutb Online, in which it was revealed that over 11,000 women filed for dissolution of marriage in last year’s lockdown.
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It emerged that the divorce cases are delayed in most circumstances in the courts as the family judge first tries to reconcile the couple before beginning the proceedings to dissolve the marriage.
Moreover, a special centre was established in the Punjab capital Lahore for negotiation purposes between the complainants and judges, whereas, no agreements are made in most divorce cases.
The courts are reportedly receiving approximately 150 khula applications on a daily basis.
According to a survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan in 2019, the divorces rate had reached an all-time high in Pakistan including rural regions, whereas, COVID-19 pandemic and forced marriages were blamed among the reasons for the rise in its rate during 2020 and 2021.
The survey said that 58 per cent of Pakistanis believe that the divorce rates have increased in the country. Moreover, two out of every five Pakistanis believe that the in-laws are responsible for most of these cases.
During the first quarter of 2020 alone, 3,800 divorce cases had been filed in Karachi, whereas, 10,312 cases of divorce, khula, guardianship and maintenance were reported by Rawalpindi’s district judiciary from January to November 2021.