Key takeaways
- Court diaries in Pakistan mix Urdu, Punjabi and English — knowing the words speeds up entries and avoids mistakes.
- Many terms map to specific provisions of the CrPC, CPC or the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order — the glossary notes the common references.
- Munshi stores fields in English for search and printing and keeps summaries in Urdu and English.
- Each term has its own page with examples of how lawyers say it.
Pakistani court diaries use a mix of Urdu, Punjabi and English. The most common words are peshi (hearing), tareekh (date — "agli tareekh" is the next date), zamanat (bail), istighasa (private complaint), khula (dissolution of marriage at the wife’s instance), nan-o-nafqa (maintenance), mulzim (accused) and muddai (plaintiff or complainant). This glossary gives a plain-English meaning for each, the common statutory reference where one applies, and how lawyers use the word when dictating.
Information only — not legal advice. Statutory references are general; check the current text on the Pakistan Code (opens in a new tab).
Why does vocabulary matter in a diary?
A diary entry is only useful if anyone in the chamber can read it the same way later. Mixed vocabulary is normal — the risk is ambiguity: "zamanat" might mean a bail application, a bail order or surety bonds, depending on context. Writing the purpose precisely ("bail arguments", "surety bonds to be submitted") prevents confusion.
The glossary
| Term | Urdu | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|
| Adam pairvi | عدم پیروی | Adam pairvi means non-prosecution — a case may be dismissed when the party who brought it fails to appear and pursue it. |
| Apeel | اپیل | Apeel means an appeal — asking a higher court to review and set aside or modify a lower court’s decision. |
| Cause list | کاز لسٹ | A cause list is the list of cases fixed for hearing before a court on a given day; lawyers also keep a personal cause list of their own cases. |
| Challan | چالان | In criminal practice, the challan is the police report submitted to court after investigation under section 173 of the CrPC. |
| Dawa | دعویٰ | Dawa means a civil suit or claim filed in court; the written document is the plaint. |
| Digree | ڈگری | A digree (decree) is the formal expression of a civil court’s adjudication that conclusively determines the rights of the parties. |
| Faisla | فیصلہ | Faisla means the decision or judgment of the court; an order may be “reserved” (mehfooz) when the court will announce it later. |
| FIR (parcha) | ایف آئی آر / پرچہ | An FIR (First Information Report), often called “parcha”, is the report of a cognisable offence recorded by the police under section 154 of the CrPC. |
| Haq mehr | حق مہر | Haq mehr is the dower — money or property the husband pays or promises to the wife as part of the Muslim marriage contract. |
| Hukm-e-imtina | حکم امتناعی | Hukm-e-imtina means a stay order or injunction — a court order restraining a party from doing something, or keeping the position unchanged, until further orders. |
| Iltiwa | التوا | Iltiwa means adjournment — the court postpones the hearing to another date. |
| Istighasa | استغاثہ | Istighasa is a private criminal complaint filed directly in court by a person, instead of (or in addition to) a police FIR. |
| Jawab-e-dawa | جوابِ دعویٰ | Jawab-e-dawa is the written statement — the defendant’s formal reply to the plaint in a civil suit. |
| Jirah | جرح | Jirah is cross-examination — questioning of a witness by the opposite party after examination-in-chief. |
| Kachehri | کچہری | Kachehri is the everyday word for the district courts complex — where civil judges, magistrates and sessions courts sit. |
| Khula | خلع | Khula is the dissolution of a Muslim marriage at the wife’s instance, granted by a Family Court, usually on her returning the dower or another benefit received. |
| Muchalka (surety bond) | مچلکہ | A muchalka is a bond — in bail matters, the personal or surety bond the court requires before releasing an accused on bail. |
| Muddai | مدعی | Muddai is the plaintiff in a civil suit or the complainant in a criminal case; the opposite party is the muddai alaih (defendant). |
| Mulzim | ملزم | Mulzim means the accused — the person charged with or alleged to have committed an offence. |
| Munshi | منشی | A munshi is a lawyer’s clerk — the person who keeps the case register, tracks dates, files papers and collects the next dates from courts. |
| Nan-o-nafqa | نان و نفقہ | Nan-o-nafqa means maintenance — financial support a husband or father is required to provide to his wife and children. |
| Nigrani | نگرانی | Nigrani means revision — a petition asking a higher court to examine the legality or propriety of a subordinate court’s order. |
| Peshi | پیشی | Peshi means a hearing — the day a case is listed before a court and the lawyer, parties or witnesses must appear. |
| Shahadat | شہادت | Shahadat means evidence — the testimony of witnesses and documents produced before the court. |
| Supurdari | سپرداری | Supurdari is the release of case property — for example a vehicle seized by police — into someone’s custody until the trial ends. |
| Tameel | تعمیل | Tameel means service — delivering the court’s summons or notice to a party or witness so they know to appear. |
| Tareekh (agli tareekh) | تاریخ | Tareekh means a date; in court practice “agli tareekh” is the next date of hearing fixed by the court at the end of a peshi. |
| Wakalatnama | وکالت نامہ | A wakalatnama is the document by which a client authorises an advocate to appear and act for them in a case. |
| Yaktarfa | یکطرفہ | Yaktarfa means ex parte — proceedings or a decision made in the absence of one party. |
| Zamanat | ضمانت | Zamanat means bail — the release of an accused person from custody, usually on furnishing surety bonds, while the case continues. |
| Zamanat baad az giraftari | ضمانت بعد از گرفتاری | Zamanat baad az giraftari is post-arrest bail — an application for the release of an accused who is already in custody. |
| Zamanat qabl az giraftari | ضمانت قبل از گرفتاری | Zamanat qabl az giraftari is pre-arrest bail — protection from arrest granted by a Court of Session or High Court before the accused is taken into custody. |
Common abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Stands for |
|---|---|
| PPC | Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 |
| CrPC | Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 |
| CPC | Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 |
| QSO | Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 |
| FIR | First Information Report |
| LHC | Lahore High Court |
| IHC | Islamabad High Court |
| SHC | Sindh High Court |
| PHC | Peshawar High Court |
| BHC | Balochistan High Court |
| ASJ | Additional Sessions Judge |
| CJ / JM | Civil Judge / Judicial Magistrate |
| ATC | Anti-Terrorism Court |
| PS | Police Station |
How do lawyers dictate these words?
Real dictation mixes everything:
"Bashir walad Usman da case kal Court 5 Kachehri ch aa, das vajay. Chori da case hai, 379 te 411 lagiyan ne, FIR thana Ichhra di 512 number. Zamanat di darkhwast deni ae."
Munshi stores that as: client Bashir s/o Usman; case State vs Bashir Usman; sections 379, 411 PPC; FIR 512, PS Ichhra; court Court 5, District Courts; date tomorrow 10:00; purpose bail application. See Urdu and languages.
Browse every term
Each term has its own page with a definition, explanation and examples: see the full glossary.
Summary
Learn the core vocabulary, write purposes precisely, and keep fields consistent. A shared vocabulary is what makes a chamber’s diary readable by everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Munshi store fields in English?
Court records, sections and case titles are generally in English, so English fields keep search and printed cause lists consistent. Summaries are also stored in Urdu.
What does "peshi" mean?
A hearing — the day a case is listed before a court.
What is the difference between zamanat qabl az giraftari and baad az giraftari?
Qabl az giraftari is pre-arrest bail (commonly under section 498 CrPC); baad az giraftari is post-arrest bail (commonly under section 497 CrPC for non-bailable offences).
Is this glossary legal advice?
No. It explains words used in diaries and courts. Always check the statute and case law that apply to your matter.
How Munshi helps
Sources
- Pakistan Code — official repository of federal laws (CrPC, CPC, Qanun-e-Shahadat) — accessed 26 October 2026
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