The head of the Catholic Church in Pakistan has expressed doubts about a government review of a court decision to confirm the ‘marriage’ of a Christian girl to an older man who had abducted her [1].
The case, one of a series of such incidents, dates back to July 2025, when 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz, a resident of Lahore, was taken by force [2], subjected to conversion to Islam, and married off to 30-year-old Shaheryar Ahmad.
Her parents reported the abduction to police, but a court deemed the girl was at least 18, despite evidence to the contrary, and validly married to the man.
Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC), voiced skepticism of the Government’s review.
“These issues often subside by the time such committees make their reports public. The process is deliberately delayed so that people forget,” he told EWTN News.
For decades, rights advocates have called for stronger measures to prevent the abduction and forced religious conversion of girls from minority communities.
At least 515 such cases were reported between 2021 and 2025, according to the Center for Social Justice. Hindu girls accounted for 69% (353 cases), followed by Christian girls at 31% (160 cases).