Guide
Haq mehr, dowry,
or a second marriage
Three things come up when a marriage is in trouble: the mehr that was promised, the dowry that was given, and what a husband may and may not do if he wants to marry again. This page names them, so you can ask an advocate the right question.
Where this applies This page covers a marriage registered in Pakistan. What your religion asks of you is a separate thing, and not something we write about.
What this is about
Haq mehr is the sum, or the thing, the husband promised the wife at the marriage. It is written in the nikah nama. Dowry, jahez, is what the wife brought with her. When a marriage ends, both can be claimed, and both are claimed in the family court.
A second marriage is a different question. Pakistani law sets conditions for a husband who wants to marry again while married. Whether they were met, and what follows if they were not, is something an advocate reads from the papers, not something we can tell you here.
What has to be in place
What has to be clear before you speak to an advocate.
What the nikah nama says about mehr, and whether any of it was paid.
What the dowry was, and whether there is a list of it.
Whether the question is about money owed, or about a second marriage, or both.
Note Your advocate confirms which of these apply to your case.
The documents you will be asked for
The papers an advocate will ask to see first.
- The nikah nama.
- Any list of dowry items, receipts, or photographs.
- Any paper about a second marriage, if that is the question.
- Your identity document and a power of attorney.
How an advocate helps from where you are
What an advocate does from Pakistan.
- Reads the nikah nama and tells you what was promised and what can be claimed.
- Files the claim for mehr or dowry in the family court and runs it.
- Checks whether the conditions for a second marriage were followed, and what that means for you.
What to ask before you agree
- Have you read my nikah nama, and what does it say about mehr?
- Is my question about money owed, a second marriage, or both?
- Can you run this from Pakistan without me travelling?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
- What is your fee, and what is not included in it?
More in Ending a marriage
Words you will meet
- haq mehr
- What the husband promised the wife at the marriage, written in the nikah nama.
- dowry
- What the wife brought into the marriage.
- second marriage
- A husband marrying again while already married. The law sets conditions.
Written
11 September 2026
Pakistan.