Shari’ah

They say the law is no respecter of persons, but in matters of family, it often takes sides- quietly, consistently, and without ever quite saying so. In Pakistan, the letter of the law bestows guardianship and financial obligation squarely upon the father’s shoulders. He is to provide the bread, pay the bills, and underwrite the children’s future. Yet when it comes to the actual care, presence, and upbringing of the children, the soul of fatherhood, he is more often than not left out in the cold. This article takes up the cause of the forgotten father: not the negligent one who flees his duties, but the one who is dutifully bound, yet legally denied.