The Lahore High Court on Saturday directed the federal as well as provincial governments to amend the Haq Mehr (alimony) column in Nikahnama.

A division bench of the high court in its ruling directed for separate sub-columns of ‘Cash’, ‘Movable’ and ‘Immovable’ in the column of Haq Mehr in Nikahnama.

The court also ruled for fixing minimum academic qualification for a Nikah Registrar and a proper arrangement for their training.

“The parties if intend to write something other than the alimony, it should be written separately in the marriage deed,” the court ruled.

The bench declared column 16 in Nikah contract, about details of dowry items, as a part of the column 13 related to the Haq Mehr.

The bench released its judgement over petitions filed by messrs Wasif Ali and others. The petitioners had challenged a verdict of a lower court with regard to return of the dowry.

Under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961,the nikahnama is a written document that is the legal evidence of the union of a bride and groom and lays out the rights and obligations agreed upon by them.