Minor children will now receive Rs. 30,000 per month in maintenance following a Lahore High Court decision, up from the previous amount of Rs. 20,000. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani announced the verdict while reviewing a mother's petition for higher payments, which also includes a 10 percent yearly adjustment dating back to 2019.
Trial courts must now determine any remaining balances using this yearly percentage rate. Furthermore, the bench maintained a previous decision awarding the mother Rs. 15,000 for her iddat period alongside Rs. 280,000 for dowry goods.
Arguments presented by the mother pointed out that the father holds British citizenship and possesses the financial means for larger payments. In response, the father stated that his monthly earnings in the United Kingdom range between £500 and £600.
According to the bench, living in the United Kingdom does not prove a person's real earnings. The judges noted that a parent's financial standing requires evaluation through employment records, job specifics, and existing proof.
The decision stressed that courts cannot accept assertions of low earnings without written documentation like salary slips. Citing a past Supreme Court judgment, the high court reminded that a father must support his offspring financially following a divorce, regardless of custody arrangements with the mother.
The judiciary highlighted that calculating support money requires evaluating the upbringing, education, daily expenses of the minors, and the earnings of the father.
