Islam gives women the right to end a marriage. Khul is the wife-initiated divorce — here is how it works, her rights, and what the Quran and Sunnah say.
Khul is the wife's right to end a marriage by returning the mehr (or an agreed portion) to the husband. If the husband refuses, she takes the matter to an Islamic court (or a qualified scholar/imam), who can grant the khul unilaterally. Unlike the West's common assumption, Islamic women are not powerless in marriage — they have a clear, legally established right of exit.
The first khul in Islam was granted by the Prophet ﷺ himself. A woman named Jamilah (or Habibah in some narrations) came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have nothing against my husband in terms of his character or religiousness, but I fear committing kufr (disbelief) in Islam if I stay with him [due to her strong dislike of him]." The Prophet ﷺ asked: "Will you return his garden [which he gave as mehr]?" She said: "Yes." The Prophet ﷺ said to the husband: "Accept the garden and divorce her once." (Bukhari 5273).
Note: the woman's reason was not abuse or harm — it was simply that she could not live with him as a proper wife. This is enough.
In Pakistan, women can obtain a court-issued khul through the family courts system under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961. This is available without the husband's consent. Pakistani courts grant thousands of khul divorces annually. It is your legal and Islamic right.
If you are in a situation of domestic violence: contact the Women's Protection Cell (Karachi: 1099) or Edhi Foundation. Your safety comes first.
It is not honourable to seek khul without genuine reason — the Prophet ﷺ said the fragrance of jannah is forbidden for a woman who seeks khul without a legitimate cause. But legitimate causes are broad, and they include simply the inability to fulfil the wife's role. You are not required to stay in a marriage that harms you, diminishes you, or prevents you from living as a proper Muslim wife. Your dignity is an amanah from Allah.