Evicting wife can land you in jail; bill tabled in NA

ISLAMABAD: A new bill aimed at protecting women from unfair eviction by their spouses or family members has been introduced in the National Assembly (NA).

The bill, called ‘Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2025, seeks to amend several provisions of the Penal Code to criminalise the act of evicting a woman from her home. Presented by Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) member, Sharmila Faruqui, the bill stipulates strict penalties for those found guilty of such actions.

Also read: NA passes Pakistan Land Port Authority bill

According to the proposed legislation, a husband or any family member who forces a woman out of her residence will face imprisonment ranging from three to six months. In addition to the prison sentence, offenders could also be fined up to Rs 200,000.

Another key feature of the proposed law is the empowerment of a first-class magistrate to hear cases related to the unlawful eviction of women from their homes, ensuring that these cases receive prompt and appropriate judicial attention.

Following the presentation, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly referred the bill to the relevant committee for further deliberation and consideration.

RECENT LEGISLATION

Last week, the National Assembly also tackled bills on land authority, NFC and health. The six-month monitoring report on the Seventh NFC Award (July–December 2022) and the Gender Equality Report 2023 were presented in the House today.

The Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill, 2025 was also introduced by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Talal Chaudhry, while Syed Naveed Qamar raised objections and proposed amendments, which were accepted.

PPP’s Sharmila Farooqi had raised an attention notice on the shortage of insulin and cancer drugs. Parliamentary Secretary Dr Nelson Azeem said the disruption was due to war-related supply issues. He noted that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) is responsible and expected the situation to improve.

Also read: NA session tackles security, NFC, health, and legislation

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan informed the House that State Life Insurance has suspended health insurance services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan due to a halt in federal funding. The service continues for millions in Punjab, KP, and Balochistan.