The country in brief
The country's law, area by area
Marriage, partnership and divorce
Marriage · Partnerships and cohabitation · Same-sex marriage · Wedding customs and ceremonies · Matrimonial property and inheritance · Divorce
Children, family and inheritance
Names · Adoption · Assisted reproduction · Step-families
Contraception, abortion, sexuality and drugs
Contraception · Abortion · Parents: a teenager’s first relationship · Sexual orientation · Drugs and controlled substances · Alcohol and tobacco
Violence, consent and sexual offences
Domestic violence · Female genital mutilation · Sexual offences committed abroad
Online: privacy, image, data and scams
Speech and online harassment · Copyright · Online shopping · Romance scams
Health: pregnancy, STIs and care
Mental health · Dental care · HIV and AIDS · Hepatitis B
Data protection
Key points
| General data protection law | Not yet enacted; drafts pending |
|---|---|
| PECA 2016 | Criminalises unauthorised access, data interference and misuse of identity information |
| Intimate images | Non-consensual distribution is an offence, with takedown powers |
| Regulators | State Bank and the Telecommunication Authority impose sectoral confidentiality obligations |
| Constitutional privacy | Article 14 protects the privacy of the home and the dignity of the person |
| Practical route | The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which replaced the FIA Cybercrime Wing in 2025, handles complaints about misuse of personal data online |
| No statute in force | Successive draft bills have not been enacted |
| Constitutional route | Article 14 and Article 199 petitions before the High Court |
| Sectoral rules | Banking and telecom regulators impose confidentiality duties |
| PECA | Criminalises unauthorised access and identity data misuse |
Understanding the rules
Pakistan has not enacted a general personal data protection law; successive drafts of a Personal Data Protection Bill have been prepared without being passed. In the meantime, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 criminalises unauthorised access, identity misuse and non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and sectoral regulators impose confidentiality duties on banks and telecoms.
In practice
- For online misuse of your data or images, complain to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which took over the cases of the former FIA Cybercrime Wing in 2025.
- For banking or telecom data, complain to the sectoral regulator, which can compel a response.
- For services based in Europe, invoke the GDPR — it often produces a faster result than domestic routes.
- Keep evidence: URLs, screenshots and timestamps.
- Use the sector regulator where one exists: banking and telecom complaints have real channels.
- Document everything; without a regulator, evidence is all you will have.
Cost and coverage
Complaints to the NCCIA and to regulators are free.
Recent changes
The Digital Rights Foundation and other organisations run helplines specifically for online harassment and privacy violations, which are often the fastest practical route.
Where to go
- National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), successor to the FIA Cybercrime Wing.
- Digital Rights Foundation Cyber Harassment Helpline.
- Pakistan Telecommunication Authority for telecom-related complaints.
Worth knowing
Where a foreign platform is involved, a GDPR request can succeed even from Pakistan if the company operates in Europe — worth trying alongside the domestic complaint. With no data protection authority, sectoral regulators are the only administrative route. For anything else, the constitutional petition is the realistic option.
The general article: Data protection · Compare with another country
Pregnancy
Key points
| Maternal mortality | Among the highest in the region, with wide provincial variation |
|---|---|
| Antenatal care | Coverage improving but uneven, particularly in rural areas |
| Skilled attendance | Lady Health Workers and community midwives are the main link to care |
| Maternity leave | Governed by provincial law; longer for public employees |
| Delivery | Institutional delivery rising but still incomplete in rural districts |
| Nutrition | Programmes provide supplementation for pregnant women in several provinces |
| Cost | Public facilities are low cost; supplies are often bought by the family |
Understanding the rules
High maternal mortality, uneven antenatal coverage, and maternity leave that depends on the province.
Maternal mortality remains among the highest in the region, driven by low rates of skilled attendance at birth in rural areas and by delays in reaching care. Antenatal coverage has improved but remains uneven. Maternity leave is governed by provincial law and varies; the federal standard for public employees is more generous than most private sector practice.
Maternity entitlements in Pakistan are provincial: Sindh and Punjab legislated longer leave, while federal employees and other provinces follow older rules, so the answer depends on where you work. Antenatal coverage has improved but remains uneven between urban and rural areas, and maternal mortality is high by regional standards. The Lady Health Worker programme is the main outreach mechanism.
In practice
- Register with the Lady Health Worker for your area: she is the most accessible entry point to care.
- Plan the journey to a facility before labour begins — delay is the main cause of death.
- Ask about nutrition support programmes: several provinces provide supplements free.
- Insist on a skilled birth attendant rather than a traditional birth attendant alone.
Cost and coverage
Public facilities are low cost; supplies, transport and medicines are often paid by the family.
Recent changes
Provincial maternity benefit laws in Sindh and Punjab have extended paid leave for covered workers, and community midwifery has been expanded to address the shortage of skilled birth attendants in rural areas.
Where to go
- Lady Health Workers and Basic Health Units.
- District headquarters hospitals for complications.
- Provincial maternal and child health programmes.
Worth knowing
Three delays kill: deciding to seek care, reaching the facility and receiving treatment on arrival. Agreeing in advance who decides and how you will travel removes the first two.
Frequently asked questions
How much maternity leave applies in Pakistan?
Provincial laws in Sindh and Punjab provide extended paid leave for covered workers; federal and other provincial rules are less generous. Informal workers, who are the majority, have no statutory entitlement at all.
Where does antenatal care happen?
At basic health units and rural health centres in the public system, at private clinics for those who can pay, and through Lady Health Workers who visit households in their catchment areas. Coverage is good in cities and thin in rural Balochistan and interior Sindh.
The general article: Pregnancy · Compare with another country
Courtship and beauty around the world
Advice
Health
Sexuality
Sources
Whole page
- The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan — Ministère du Droit et de la Justice du Pakistan, accessed 2026
- Pakistan's Constitutional Provisions on Gender Equality (1973 Constitution, as amended to 2018) — ONU Femmes, 2018
- The Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 — Ministère du Droit et de la Justice du Pakistan, 1961
- Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 — Ministère du Droit et de la Justice du Pakistan, 1929
Pregnancy
- The Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 — Ministère du Droit et de la Justice du Pakistan, 1860
Data protection
- Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 — Assemblée nationale du Pakistan, 2016
Official or institutional documents this page relies on, consulted on 12 October 2026. Links open in a new tab.
Page checked in .
Text prepared with artificial intelligence, reviewed and checked by the AffectionPlus team (method and sources: About). This content does not replace medical or legal advice. Spotted an error? Write to us.