In a significant ruling from Islamabad, a Pakistani federal court has directed police to locate and present a 13-year-old Christian girl in court, allegedly kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to a 30-year-old Muslim man. Local media reports highlight this case as emblematic of broader issues facing religious minorities.
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), comprising Justices Ali Baqar Najafi and Karim Khan Agha, issued the order to bring Maria Shahbaz and her purported husband, Shahryar Ahmad, before the bench. According to Supreme Court advocate Rana Abdul Hamid, Ahmad abducted Maria on July 29 last year, coerced her into converting, and married her.
The court accepted a petition filed by Maria’s father, Shahbaz Masih. Hamid explained that lower courts in Lahore, including sessions court and high court, had dismissed their pleas for the girl’s recovery, prompting the appeal to the FCC.
‘We informed the court that the girl is a minor and is being subjected to rape under the guise of religious conversion and marriage,’ Hamid stated. He accused Lahore police of colluding with the accused, leading a magistrate court to reject the family’s complaint.
Police allegedly pressured Maria to record a statement claiming voluntary conversion and marriage, despite official documents proving she is underage—below the 16-year legal marriage age for girls under provincial child marriage laws.
Shahbaz Masih recounted how his neighbor Ahmad snatched his daughter while she was heading to a nearby shop. He filed an FIR at Nawab Town police station, but officers cited her statement before a Model Town magistrate on July 31, claiming she acted willingly.
Human rights activists point to a disturbing pattern in Pakistan: girls as young as 10 abducted, forcibly converted, and ‘married’ to enable rape. Victims are coerced into false testimonies, and judges often ignore age evidence, handing minors back to abductors as ‘legal wives.’
Religious minorities in Pakistan endure systemic discrimination, including false blasphemy charges, mob violence, targeted killings, land grabs, forced conversions, arbitrary detentions, and destruction of worship sites and properties. This case underscores the urgent need for judicial reforms to protect vulnerable children.