Talaq in Pakistan: union council notice and the 90 days

The rule in section 7

Divorce by the husband is governed by section 7 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961. The first duty is a written notice:

The Chairman is the Chairman of the union council, or a person the government appoints to do this job (section 2(b)). Then three things follow by law: a reconciliation body, a waiting period, and a longer wait if the wife is pregnant.

The Supreme Court explained the reason for the 90 days in 2025: "During this statutory period, the marital status of the spouses remains unaffected, thereby affording an opportunity for reconciliation" (PLD 2025 SC 469, para 7).

“Any man who wishes to divorce his wife shall, as soon as may be after the pronouncement of talaq in any form whatsoever, give the Chairman notice in writing of his having done so, and shall supply a copy thereof to the wife”

Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7, Talaq

“(3) Save as provided in sub-section (5), a talaq unless revoked earlier, expressly or otherwise shall not be effective until the expiration of ninety days from the day on which notice under sub-section (1) is delivered to the Chairman. (4) Within thirty days of the receipt of notice under sub-section (1), the Chairman shall constitute an Arbitration Council for the purpose of bringing about a reconciliation between the parties, and the Arbitration Council shall take all steps necessary to bring about such reconciliation. (5) If the wife be pregnant at the time talaq is pronounced, talaq shall not be effective until the period mentioned in sub-section … or the pregnancy, whichever be later, ends.”

Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7, Talaq

Step by step: how talaq works in practice

• Step 1: PronouncementSection 7 applies to talaq "in any form whatsoever" (section 7(1)), spoken or written.
• Step 2: Written notice to the ChairmanAs soon as may be, the husband sends written notice to the Chairman and a copy to the wife (section 7(1)). The union council is the one where the wife was living when talaq was pronounced, under Rule 3(b) of the MFLO Rules as read in PLD 2025 Lahore 340.
• Step 3: Arbitration CouncilWithin thirty days the Chairman forms an Arbitration Council, made of the Chairman and one representative of each side, to try for reconciliation (sections 7(4) and 2(a)).
• Step 4: The 90 days runThe talaq is not effective until ninety days after the Chairman receives the notice. If the wife is pregnant, it waits for the 90 days or the end of the pregnancy, whichever is later (section 7(3) and 7(5)).
• Step 5: Talaq takes effectIf the husband does not revoke within the 90 days, the divorce becomes effective on its own. It does not depend on anyone attending the council (PLD 2026 Lahore 343, para 16).

Can talaq be given over the phone, or three times at once?

Section 7 covers talaq "in any form whatsoever" (section 7(1)) and does not list forms. Whatever words or medium the husband uses, the same steps apply: written notice to the Chairman, a copy to the wife, and 90 days before it takes effect. We did not find a reported Supreme Court judgment in the FAI archive deciding phone or text-message talaq as such, so do not rely on a message alone. Talk to a lawyer and go to the union council.

Saying talaq three times in one sitting does not make it instant. In PLD 2025 SC 469 the husband sent a written triple talaq and died before 90 days passed. The Supreme Court held the wife was still his widow and could inherit. FAI Media has a separate reel and article on that judgment; this page is about the procedure.

For Shia (Fiqah-e-Jafria) couples, a 2021 amendment added a proviso to section 7 requiring talaq in Arabic words in the physical presence of two witnesses. The Lahore High Court has said this amendment is "restricted to Federally administered areas and it is not extended to the Province of Punjab" (PLD 2025 Lahore 18, para 15). We could not confirm its position in other provinces.

Can talaq be revoked?

Yes, within the 90 days. Section 7(3) says the talaq is not effective "unless revoked earlier, expressly or otherwise" (section 7(3)). The Lahore High Court summed up the law in 2025:

"During this 90-day period, the husband retains the right to revoke the Talaq either expressly or by any unequivocal conduct indicating such intent. Intimation to the Chairman is not a statutory precondition for revocation." (PLD 2026 Lahore 343, para 16)

The same judgment says revocation within the period keeps the marriage alive whatever form the talaq took, including talaq-ul-bidaat. Telling the union council in writing is still wise, because a certificate issued without knowing about the revocation can cause problems. In PLD 2017 Islamabad 364 a couple had reconciled before 90 days but the Chairman issued a certificate anyway, and the High Court set it aside.

After a talaq has become effective, the couple can marry again by a fresh nikah, unless it is the third effective talaq:

“(6) Nothing shall debar a wife whose marriage has been terminated by talaq effective under this section from re-marrying the same husband, without an intervening marriage with a third person unless such termination is for the third time so effective.”

Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7, Talaq

What if the husband never sends the notice?

Not sending notice is an offence:

It also stops the talaq from taking effect. The Lahore High Court, following the Supreme Court's reading of section 7, said: "Failure to send notice to the Chairman may attract penal consequences under section 7(2), but does not by itself amount to revocation of Talaq. It renders the pronouncement ineffective, not invalid, in law." (PLD 2026 Lahore 343, para 16)

The same judgment notes one narrow exception: in zina prosecutions the Shariat Appellate Bench has treated an unnotified divorce as valid in Shariah. Outside that, the court said section 7 governs.

“(2) Whoever contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both.”

Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7, Talaq

Talaq nama and divorce papers: what paper does the law need?

People call the written talaq a "talaq nama" or "divorce papers", and many sites offer a talaq nama format to download. The Ordinance itself prescribes no talaq nama form. What section 7 requires is a notice in writing to the Chairman of the union council, with a copy to the wife.

So a signed talaq nama records the pronouncement, but on its own it does not start the 90 days. The 90 days run from the day the written notice is delivered to the Chairman (section 7(3)). Keep proof of the date it was delivered.

The same steps apply where the nikah nama gave the wife the right to divorce and she uses it, or where the marriage is ended otherwise than by talaq: section 8 applies section 7 to those cases. Before you sign any format from the internet, ask your union council what it accepts with the notice.

“Where the right to divorce has been duly delegated to the wife and she wishes to exercise that right, or where any of the parties to a marriage wishes to dissolve the marriage otherwise than by talaq, the provisions of section 7 shall, mutatis mutandis and so far as applicable, apply.”

Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 8, Dissolution of marriage otherwise than by talaq

The divorce certificate

In practice union councils issue a certificate of effectiveness of divorce; the judgments below deal with such certificates. But the law does not make the divorce depend on it. The Islamabad High Court said: "There is no provision in the M.F.L.O. requiring respondent No.1 to issue a certificate of effectiveness of talaq" (PLD 2017 Islamabad 364, para 8). Respondent No.1 there was the Chairman.

The Lahore High Court agreed that "the issuance or non-issuance of a certificate has no legal bearing on its effectiveness" (PLD 2026 Lahore 343, para 16).

We did not find a statute or judgment that sets out how NADRA issues its divorce certificate or what it costs. Check the current form, fee and steps with your union council and NADRA.

What this does not mean

• This page covers divorce by the husband. A wife's route through court (khula) is in our khula guide.
• It does not settle questions of Shariah validity outside section 7, such as in zina cases.
• Overseas couples may face a different office; the Lahore High Court has discussed Pakistan Missions abroad (PLD 2025 Lahore 340). Get advice.

Questions people ask

Sources

• Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7
  Talaq Pakistan Code
• Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7
  Talaq Pakistan Code
• Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7
  Talaq Pakistan Code
• Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 7
  Talaq Pakistan Code
• Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 2
  Definitions Pakistan Code
• Aziz Ahmad v. Mst. Musarat, PLD 2025 SC 469 (Supreme Court of Pakistan, 9 April 2025)
  Written triple talaq not effective before 90 days; wife inherits as widow. Supreme Court of Pakistan (judgment PDF)
• Jameel Ahmad v. The State, PLD 2026 Lahore 343 (Lahore High Court, 14 November 2025)
  Seven principles on section 7: 90 days, revocation, no notice, certificate.
• Fawad Ahsan v. Chairman, Arbitration Council, Islamabad, PLD 2017 Islamabad 364 (Islamabad High Court, 16 August 2017)
  No provision requires a certificate; certificate set aside where couple reconciled within 90 days.
• Syed Shouzab Imran Kazmi v. Syeda Iffat Bukhari, PLD 2025 Lahore 18 (Lahore High Court, 31 October 2024)
  2021 Fiqah-e-Jafria proviso limited to federally administered areas, not Punjab.
• Muhammad Adil Nawaz Bhatti v. Chairman Union Council No. 116-EME, PLD 2025 Lahore 340 (Lahore High Court, 30 January 2024)
  Union council where the wife lived at pronouncement has jurisdiction; overseas cases discussed.
• Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 · Section 8
  Dissolution of marriage otherwise than by talaq Pakistan Code

Every quote and section above is traced to the full judgment or statute text by an automatic check that runs on every update.