Understanding Women's Marriage Rights and the Content of Nikah Nama

Wire Lab Solutions, in collaboration with the Directorate of Youth Affairs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the ORIC, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar, organized a one-day panel discussion on 17th September, 2026 at SBBWU Peshawar on the topic "Understanding Women's Marriage Rights and the Content of Nikah Nama" under the leadership and patronage of worthy Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Farhat Amin. The session aimed to raise awareness among students about women's legal rights, protections and responsibilities within marriage, including consent, marriage registration, mehr, maintenance, inheritance and legal resources in case of dispute, to empower them with the knowledge to make informed decisions and to understand marriage as a legal contract. The panel included Dr. Zainab, Associate Professor, Department of Islamiat, SBBWUP, who explained the Islamic perspective on women's consent and the significance of mehr for financial dignity and security; Ms. Marghzar Tarana, Gold Medalist and alumni of Department of Law, SBBWUP and practicing lawyer at Peshawar District Courts, who highlighted the Nikahnama as a legally binding document, explained its important clauses and discussed the legal position of maintenance and remedies available to women; and Advocate Zul Qarnain, Advocate High Court, Founder and Senior Partner of Al Qarni Law Associates and PhD scholar at IIUI, who shared his practical experience of problems arising from signing the Nikahnama without understanding and explained the legal aspects of mehr including its amount, prompt and deferred payment and enforceability. The session was moderated by Ms. Shehla Zahoor, Assistant Professor, Department of Law, SBBWUP. The panelists also addressed common myths such as that asking about the Nikahnama is a sign of distrust, that families can decide all terms of marriage, and that mehr is just a formality. The discussion was followed by an interactive question and answer session and a practical activity where students filled sample Nikah Nama for better understanding.

At the end, Madam Zohra Shahzad, Director ORIC, SBBWUP, appreciated the panel discussion and stated that such sessions are the need of the hour. She mentioned that awareness about the Nikah Nama is not just about legal knowledge but about empowering young women to understand their own rights given by both Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan. She further added that when women are aware of concepts like consent, mehr and maintenance, they can protect themselves from future hardships and contribute to a more just and balanced society, and that ORIC will continue to support such initiatives for youth awareness and empowerment under the vision of the Vice Chancellor. The event was appreciated by students and faculty as an important step towards legal literacy and women empowerment.