Women's Property Rights Complaint in Islamabad: File With FOSPAH Online or by Phone, 60 Day Process

A woman denied her inheritance share or kept out of her own property in Islamabad can file a free complaint with the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) under the Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2020, online at complaints.fospah.gov.pk or by phone on 0344-4367367. The law asks the Ombudsperson to pass an order, preferably within 60 days, and the Deputy Commissioner then restores the property.

The common story is a sister whose brothers sold or occupied the family house after the father died, or a widow pushed out by in-laws. A civil suit for that can take years. We read the Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2020 on Pakistan Code and the FOSPAH website on 28 October 2026.

The 2020 Act covers any woman's property in Islamabad

The Act applies only in the Islamabad Capital Territory. Any woman deprived of ownership or possession of her property, by any means, can complain. Property includes land, houses and plots, and also movable things such as jewellery or a car.

Inheritance is the most common case, but the Act is not limited to it. Section 4 says "by any means", which covers fraud, force, a forged transfer or a relative who simply refuses to hand over the keys. Your share itself still comes from inheritance law, which sets out who gets what under Pakistani inheritance law.

The complaint does not have to come from the woman herself. Under the proviso to section 4(1), the Ombudsperson can act on her own motion, or on a complaint by anyone, including a non-governmental organisation. That helps a woman who cannot safely complain in her own name.

How to file a property complaint with FOSPAH

FOSPAH takes complaints through its online portal, by email and by phone. The portal at complaints.fospah.gov.pk asks you to register first and then log in with your CNIC, email or phone number. We saw no fee for a complaint on the FOSPAH site.

1. Collect proof of ownership or share: the fard or registry, the inheritance mutation, or a succession certificate, plus your CNIC.
2. Write down the facts: what property, who holds it, since when, and how you were kept out.
3. Register on complaints.fospah.gov.pk and file the complaint, or email it to complaints@fospah.gov.pk.
4. Note whether any court case on the property is pending, because that changes the route.
5. Keep the complaint number and attend hearings when notified.

If the land record is unclear, check it first. In Islamabad you can get a fard of your land on the PAK App, which shows who the record names as owner today.

The Ombudsperson aims to decide within 60 days

After a first look, the Ombudsperson can send the matter to the Deputy Commissioner for a summary inquiry, with a report due in 15 days. Both sides then get to object and be heard. Section 4(5) asks for a final order preferably within 60 days of the complaint.

If the case is simple and needs no evidence, the Ombudsperson can skip the DC inquiry and pass orders after calling the record. If the case is complex, section 6 lets the Ombudsperson send a reference to the civil court, also preferably within 60 days, and the court treats it as a civil suit.

The order can return the property and pay you lost rent

If the Ombudsperson finds you were illegally deprived, section 5 directs the Deputy Commissioner, any official or the private person to restore possession or transfer title to you. The police can be told to help. The DC must report compliance within seven days.

Section 8 adds money. The person who kept you out can be ordered to pay rent at the market rate for the whole period you were deprived of the property. For a house held for five years, that sum can be large.

Either side can challenge the order by a representation to the President within 30 days, under section 5(4) added in 2021. Section 11 also bars other courts from staying the Ombudsperson's proceedings.

A court case does not stop you from complaining

If a case about the property is already in court, section 7 still lets you complain. The Ombudsperson can ask the court to end or pause its case so the complaint can proceed, after hearing both sides and deciding within 30 days of the hearing.

FOSPAH's own figures show the route is used. Its website listed 1,290 property complaints received, 1,156 disposed of and 134 pending when we checked on 28 October 2026.

For property in Punjab, a separate provincial law applies, and the route is a complaint to the Punjab Ombudsperson for women's property rights.

Common questions

Where can a woman complain if her brothers deny her share in Islamabad?

To the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH), under the Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2020, online at complaints.fospah.gov.pk.

Is there a fee for a FOSPAH property complaint?

We found no fee on the FOSPAH website or in the Act. Ask the office if a lawyer quotes you a filing fee.

How long does FOSPAH take to decide a property complaint?

The Act asks for an order preferably within 60 days. Complex cases can be sent to a civil court instead.

Does the Act cover property outside Islamabad?

No. It extends only to the Islamabad Capital Territory. Punjab has its own law and its own Ombudsperson for this.

Can someone else file the complaint for me?

Yes. Any person or an NGO can file, and the Ombudsperson can also act on her own motion.

Can I claim rent for the years I was kept out?

Yes. Section 8 lets the Ombudsperson order rent at the market rate for the period you were deprived.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2020 (Act XII of 2020) on the Ministry of Law's Pakistan Code site, in the version updated to 17 April 2023, and the FOSPAH home page, complaint process page and complaint portal on 28 October 2026. The contact details and case numbers are as FOSPAH listed them that day. FOSPAH's complaint process is shown as an image we could not read as text, so we could not confirm the required documents or any form beyond the portal. Regional office addresses were not listed on the pages we read.