Guide
I have a civil case,
or someone has filed one against me
Most disputes that are not crimes and not family matters end up as civil cases: about land, money, contracts, or a paper that should not exist. This page names the things a civil court can do, so that the words on your notice make sense.
Where this applies This page covers civil courts in Pakistan. The special court for overseas Pakistanis has its own page.
What this is about
A civil court can declare something: that a deed is void, that you are the owner. It can order something: that a wall be removed, that money be paid. And it can stop something for the time being: a stay order, which freezes a sale or a construction while the case runs. Which of these you ask for shapes the whole case.
Cases take time, and time is the weapon most often used against someone abroad. The answer is an advocate who attends every date and a power of attorney that lets the case go on without you.
What has to be in place
What has to be clear.
What you want the court to say or do, in one sentence.
The papers that support it.
Where the property or the other side is, because that decides the court.
Note Your advocate confirms which of these apply to your case.
The documents you will be asked for
What an advocate asks for.
- The deeds, agreements, records or letters the case is about.
- The notice or the plaint, if a case has already been filed.
- Your identity document and a power of attorney that allows the advocate to act in court.
How an advocate helps from where you are
What an advocate does.
- Chooses what to ask for, and drafts the case so that it can be won.
- Gets a stay order where something has to be stopped now.
- Attends every hearing and tells you what each one decided.
- Defends a case filed against you, including one filed as pressure.
What to ask before you agree
- Which court, and why that one?
- Will you attend every hearing and tell me what each one decided?
- Can a stay order be asked for now, and on what basis?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
- What is your fee, and what is not included in it?
More in Court cases and settlements
I lost, and I want to appealCourt cases and settlements
There was an accident in Pakistan and someone was hurtCourt cases and settlements
Is there an office in Pakistan that helps people like me?Court cases and settlements
Also relevant
Words you will meet
- civil suit
- A case between private parties that is not a crime.
- stay order
- An order that stops something while the case runs.
- declaration
- A court stating what the legal position is.
- plaint
- The paper that starts a civil case.
Written
11 September 2026
Pakistan.