Key Points
- Legislation defines physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse with penalties of up to one year in prison and Rs100,000 fine.
- Bill empowers courts to issue protection and monetary relief orders, including eviction of aggressors from shared homes.
- Implementation mechanisms include protection committees and designated officers, as the bill now moves to the Senate amid JUI-F resistance.
ISLAMABAD: While national debate remained absorbed by the 27th Constitutional Amendment, the National Assembly of Pakistan approved another landmark piece of legislation, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2025.
The bill, moved by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Member of the National Assembly, Sharmila Faruqui, seeks to create a comprehensive legal framework to address domestic violence in Islamabad, marking a major step toward protecting vulnerable individuals across the federal capital of Pakistan.
Comprehensive Protection for Vulnerable Groups
The bill extends protection to men, women, transgender persons, children, and all other vulnerable individuals, including people with disabilities and the elderly, from physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse. It classifies domestic violence as abuse inflicted by anyone with whom the aggrieved person has or had a domestic relationship, including spouses, parents, adoptive parents, and other household members.
Citing a rise in domestic violence cases in Islamabad, the legislation underscores Pakistan’s obligations under CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) as a key motivation for the reforms.
The House passed The Domestic Violence Prevention & protection Bill, 2025.
The Bill was presented by MNA Dr. Sharmila Sahiba Faruqui Hashaam. #NASession @sharmilafaruqi pic.twitter.com/5IFMVEnK0T
— National Assembly 🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) November 13, 2025
Wide-Ranging Definitions of Abuse
Physical abuse carries punishments consistent with the Pakistan Penal Code. Emotional and psychological abuse have been defined broadly, encompassing:
- Obsessive jealousy leading to repeated violation of privacy or security
- Persistent insults, ridicule, or threats
- Threats of divorce or second marriage made on baseless grounds
- False allegations regarding character
- Willful abandonment, stalking, or harassment
- Forcing a wife to cohabit with someone other than her husband
Sexual abuse includes any sexual act that degrades or violates a person’s dignity, while economic abuse covers intentional deprivation of financial resources or restricting access to them.
Unless already criminalised under the PPC, acts of domestic violence may result in six months to one year in prison and a fine of Rs100,000, with at least Rs20,000 awarded to the victim as compensation. Those who aid or abet domestic violence face the same penalties.
Stronger Rights and Protections for Victims
The bill ensures that aggrieved persons have the right to continue living in their homes regardless of ownership, and may opt to stay with a recognised service provider offering legal, medical, financial, or other forms of assistance.
If a family court determines that domestic violence has occurred, or is likely to occur, it may issue protection orders requiring the accused to:
- Stay away from and avoid communicating with the victim
- Move out of the shared home if there is a threat to life or reputation
- Refrain from taking or withholding the victim’s belongings
- Return any property belonging to the victim
Courts may also order the accused to pay monetary relief, including compensation for economic abuse, medical expenses, loss of earnings, maintenance for the victim and children, and damage to property. Failure to pay may result in courts directing employers to deduct payments directly from the accused’s salary.
Violating protection or relief orders may lead to one year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000, payable to the victim.
Implementation Mechanisms and Oversight
The bill mandates the creation of protection committees within divisional administrations to ensure victims are aware of their rights and receive assistance with shelter, healthcare, and legal support. Dedicated protection officers will handle case documentation, liaise with service providers, and monitor enforcement of court orders.
The Next Move
Though passed by the National Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament, the bill must clear the Senate, the upper house, before becoming law. It has already faced resistance from JUI-F members in the lower house. Senator Atta Ur Rehman of the JUI-F has argued that the bill should first be referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) before a Senate vote.
If approved, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2025 would mark one of the most significant steps toward safeguarding vulnerable individuals in Islamabad, a development that risked being overshadowed by the political furore over constitutional reforms.
