News Desk
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has ruled that a father cannot end the legal right of a minor child to maintenance through any agreement or mutual consent.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued a detailed written judgment while dismissing an appeal filed by a father who sought termination of child support obligations based on a prior settlement agreement.
According to the court record, the parties were married in 2002 and divorced in 2005. After the separation, a family-arranged agreement was reached under which the father agreed to pay 60,000 rupees for the child’s maintenance.
In 2019, the mother filed a fresh claim for child support. The father argued that the earlier agreement barred any further legal action. However, the court rejected this argument, stating that a private agreement cannot override the legal rights of a minor.
The judgment further noted that financial hardship does not relieve a father of his responsibility to support his child. The court observed that child maintenance is a continuing obligation rooted in legal, moral and religious principles.
It also held that unpaid maintenance constitutes a recoverable debt that remains enforceable under law and cannot be waived.
The court dismissed the appeal and directed that copies of the judgment be sent to the Law and Justice Commission and the Ministry of Law and Justice for reference.
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