children but also for maintaining Pakistan's standing as a responsible member of the international community. Section 10: Citizenship through marriage Section 10 of the Pakistan Citizenship Act delineates the process for acquiring Pakistani citizenship through marriage, only for women married to Pakistani citizens. No such provision exists for foreign men married to Pakistani women. Section 10 stipulates that a woman married to a Pakistani citizen, upon application to the Federal Government, may be registered as a citizen of Pakistan, subject to certain conditions such as obtaining a certificate of domicile and taking the oath of allegiance. The Rules governing this process, as outlined in the Pakistan Citizenship Rules 1952 (Rule 14) specify the procedure for such applications (Rule 15) and allow for citizenship eligibility even in the event of the husband's demise before the application is filed. While the Act does not explicitly prescribe the duration of marriage required for citizenship eligibility, the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) website suggests a five-year residency requirement supported by documentary evidence. Consequently, a foreign woman married to a Pakistani citizen and residing in Pakistan for five years can seek Pakistani citizenship, including widows who can provide evidence of their residency. It is crucial to acknowledge and unpack the discrimination against Pakistani women citizens under the Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951 and its accompanying Rules 1952, as foreign women married to Pakistani men are granted citizenship rights, while Pakistani women married to foreign nationals are not extended the same privilege. This discrepancy contravenes Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of rights to all citizens, irrespective of gender. Moreover, this discriminatory practice runs counter to international human rights standards Pakistan is obligated to comply with, including Articles 2, 15, and 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), (ratified by Pakistan), which obligates 9