“Taking Back a Gift Given to Wife Is Like Spitting and Licking It Back” — Justice Mohsin

Islamabad, February 23, 2026
In a remarkable set of remarks during court proceedings, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Superior Court delivered a stinging rebuke to a petitioner attempting to reclaim gifts given to his wife, stating that such an act was akin to “spitting and then licking it back.”
The case involved a husband who had filed a petition seeking the return of gifts and valuables presented to his wife during the course of their marriage. Hearing the matter, Justice Mohsin observed that there was no legal tradition or precedent in Pakistani law that permitted a husband to reclaim gifts voluntarily given to his wife.
The judge further underlined the Islamic perspective, remarking that Islam too does not sanction the withdrawal of a gift once it has been willingly bestowed. “This is a matter of basic dignity and decency,” the court noted, adding that gifts given from one’s own free will carry moral and legal weight that cannot simply be reversed on a whim.
The court’s unusually candid language drew widespread attention, with legal observers noting that such plain-spoken judicial remarks serve an important purpose in communicating the spirit of the law to the common public.
The case has been adjourned for further hearing.