KARACHI: A man has agreed to pay Rs2.5 million to his former wife and daughter in an 18-year-old maintenance case after a judicial magistrate allowed a plea of a compromise between both the parties.

Nearly two decades ago, plaintiff Ms Imtiaz had filed a suit against her ex-husband Shafqat Ali, seeking maintenance for herself and her daughter, as well as recovery of her dower amount. The suit was decreed ex parte in 2007.

Later, in 2016, the plaintiff filed an execution application, which was dismissed by court on grounds of being time-barred.

She challenged the decision before a sessions court and subsequently before the Sindh High Court; however, both courts upheld the trial court’s order.

After years of litigation between the two parties, including defendant, the Supreme Court in 2023 remanded the case back to the trial court with directions to decide the matter afresh.

In its detailed order, Judicial Magistrate (South) Naeem Akhtar noted: “On the very first date of hearing before this court post-remand, both parties through the able assistance of their learned counsel engaged in constructive dialogue and agreed to explore mediation. Three sessions of mediation were held under the guidance of the court and counsel, during which both sides exhibited goodwill and intent to resolve their protracted dispute amicably.”

However, the judge added that during the final mediation session, both sides submitted a joint application for compromise, under which the defendant agreed to pay a total amount of Rs2.5m to the plaintiff in five equal instalments of Rs500,000 each by October 2026.

“Before parting, this court deems it appropriate to record its appreciation for the able assistance and commendable efforts of the learned counsel for both parties, whose cooperation and mediation skills have led to the amicable resolution of one of the oldest pending matters on the docket of this court,” the judge wrote in its order.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2025