Browse the corpus

Pakistan's banking and financial-sector statutes — from the State Bank of Pakistan Act and Banking Companies Ordinance that set up and regulate the banking system, to laws on foreign currency accounts, foreign private investment, savings banks, Shariah-compliant modarabas, and the stock exchange.

The largest category — contracts, property transfer, civil procedure, limitation periods, partnerships, trusts, intellectual property (patents, trademarks), citizenship, and a wide range of other civil-law subjects, from the foundational Contract Act and Transfer of Property Act to newer laws like the Patents Ordinance and Environmental Protection Act.

Laws on companies and corporate regulation — including the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Act, rules on misleading trade descriptions, and statutes governing the transfer or trusteeship of specific state corporations.

Pakistan's criminal statutes beyond the Penal Code — arms and explosives regulation, narcotics enforcement, extradition, sedition and public-order offences, the Hudood Ordinances, prison administration, and specialized bodies like the FIA and Anti-Narcotics Force.

The statutes that establish and govern Pakistan's universities, research institutes, regulatory authorities, and state corporations — from Quaid-e-Azam University and COMSATS to the Federal Tax Ombudsman, PAEC, and dozens of specialized boards and councils.

The constituency-delimitation, electoral-rolls, and reserved-seats laws that structure how federal elections are organized, though some have since been superseded by later election legislation.

Excise duties and taxation-adjacent statutes — on spirits, sugar, cotton and railway taxation, provisional collection of taxes, municipal taxation, and the Competition Act's regulation of anti-competitive conduct.

Marriage, divorce, dowry, guardianship, and inheritance law across Pakistan's religious communities — including the Christian Marriage Act, Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, Hindu personal-law statutes, the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, and the Guardians and Wards Act.

A broad catch-all category spanning wildlife and forestry protection, weights and measures, official secrets, motor vehicles, fisheries, cultural heritage, and dozens of narrow single-purpose statutes covering everything from cement-industry vesting to lighthouse administration.

Public health regulation and medical-profession oversight — vaccination, epidemic control, mental health, medicine indemnity, and the regulatory councils for veterinary, dental, and traditional (Unani/Ayurvedic/Homoeopathic) medicine, several of which have since been repealed and replaced.

Laws implementing Pakistan's international obligations and diplomatic relationships — from the UN and IMF founding-membership laws to Organization of the Islamic Conference immunities and foreign arbitral-award enforcement.

Laws on religious observance and institutions — Ramazan-related restrictions, the Enforcement of Shari'ah Act, madrasah regulation, protection of the Holy Quran's printed text, and Sikh Gurdwaras administration.

Employment and workplace regulation — wages, working conditions, factories, industrial relations, workers' compensation, child labour, and sector-specific labour rules for cotton, mining, docks, and railways.

Agricultural land and property administration — land acquisition, agricultural loans, revenue jurisdiction, Zakat and Ushr on agricultural produce, and protection of minority communities' communal properties.

Pakistan's land-ceiling reform legislation — though the core land-ceiling provisions of the Land Reforms Act, 1977 were struck down by the Shariat Appellate Bench in 1990 and are no longer enforceable.

A single statute — the Commercial Documents Evidence Act, 1939 — governing how commercial documents are proved as evidence in Pakistani courts.

Broadcast and print-media regulation — the Newsprint Control Ordinance and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Ordinance that created Pakistan's electronic media regulator.

Laws governing the armed forces — reserves, cadet training, nursing service, academies, field-exercise safety, and wartime injury compensation, plus a prohibition on private military organizations.

Police organization and discipline — the foundational Police Act, 1888, specialized forces like the Airports Security Force and Railways Police, and restrictions on inciting disaffection among police.

Rent control and tenant protection in specific areas — cantonments and Karachi — regulating fair rent, eviction, and accommodation requisitioning.

Terms of federal government employment — pensions, provident funds, medical reimbursement, service tribunals, and rules for specific categories of civil servants, from Auditor-General staff to former East Pakistan government employees.