The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) has issued a landmark ruling against the practice of depriving women of inheritance, declaring it un-Islamic.
The court also ordered criminal proceedings against those who deny women their rightful inheritance based on outdated customs and traditions.
A four-member bench, headed by Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman, announced the decision while hearing a petition filed by Fawzia Jalal Shah. The court was told that cultural practices such as chadar and parchi are followed in Bannu.
The court emphasized that depriving women of their inheritance in the name of such cultural practices has no place in Islam and must be eradicated.
The court was informed that certain regions still adhere to traditional practices where women are deprived of their inheritance rights under the pretext of local customs. However, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government stated in court that such traditions are neither widespread nor legally recognised.
The Federal Shariat Court strongly condemned these practices, reminding that before Islam, women were deprived of inheritance during the era of ignorance, and Islam came to establish their rightful share in property and assets.
In its ruling, the court directed that legal action should be taken against individuals who continue to disinherit women.
