Pakistan Court Hands 13 Year Old Christian Girl to Her Abductor as British Parliament Erupts

British Parliament Demands Answers After 13 Year Old Christian Girl Forced Into Marriage in Pakistan

A British parliamentary group has formally raised alarm over the case of Maria Shahbaz, a 13 year old Christian girl who was abducted in Lahore, Pakistan on July 29, 2025, and subsequently forced into marriage with a 30 year old Muslim man named Shehryar Ahmad.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Pakistani Minorities (APPG) released a statement documenting what it called "a broader and well documented pattern of allegations concerning the abduction, forced conversion, and marriage of girls from religious minority communities" in Pakistan.

Maria's father, Shahbaz Masih, a driver by profession, has maintained that his daughter was underage at the time and was coerced into religious conversion. He presented documentary evidence showing she was just 12 years old when the marriage took place.

Despite this evidence, Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court upheld the marriage as lawful and granted custody of Maria to Ahmad. A re investigation conducted under the direction of the Sessions Court found that the marriage certificate had been fabricated, with the relevant Union Council confirming no official record of the marriage existed. The court nevertheless dismissed the age documentation as "unreliable."

The protection of children and the safeguarding of religious minorities are fundamental principles recognised across all legal systems.

Lord Alton, APPG Co Chair, made these remarks while urging Pakistani authorities to properly investigate forced marriage allegations involving minors and enforce applicable laws.

On March 29, 2026, hundreds of Pakistani Christians gathered outside the Karachi Press Club carrying placards and demanding immediate protection for underage girls and stronger legislation against forced conversions and child marriages. Speakers at the rally warned that the court's decision could embolden perpetrators to exploit vulnerable girls.

Every year in Pakistan, an estimated 1,000 girls and young women from religious minorities face abduction, rape, forced marriage, coerced conversion to Islam, and various other forms of abuse. The APPG also highlighted the plight of Christian shanty town residents facing eviction due to poverty and housing discrimination.

Pakistan Court Upholds Forced Marriage of Abducted Christian Minor Despite Fabricated Documents

The APPG acknowledged Pakistan's judicial sovereignty while calling for enhanced international cooperation to strengthen protections for religious minorities. The group urged the international community to stand alongside persecuted Christians and demand accountability from Pakistan's legal system.

The Crusader's Opinion

A 13 year old girl was stolen from her family, forced to convert, and handed over to her 30 year old abductor by the very courts that should have protected her. The marriage certificate was proven fabricated. Her age documents were dismissed. And the world is silent.

Let us be absolutely clear: this is state sanctioned child trafficking wearing a judicial robe. If a Christian man in the West kidnapped a 13 year old Muslim girl, forced her to convert to Christianity, and married her, every government on earth would be issuing sanctions by sundown. But when it happens to a Christian girl in Pakistan, we get polite parliamentary statements and diplomatic hand wringing.

One thousand girls every year. That is not a statistic. That is a thousand families destroyed, a thousand childhoods annihilated, a thousand souls crying out for justice that never comes. We must not look away.

Take Action

• Write to your MP or Congressional representative demanding they raise the case of Maria Shahbaz and the systematic persecution of Christians in Pakistan at the next parliamentary session.
• Donate to The Shepherd's Shield to support persecuted Christians worldwide.
• Support Open Doors USA which advocates for persecuted Christians in over 70 countries, including Pakistan.
• Support Voice of the Martyrs who work directly with persecuted believers in Pakistan and across the world.
• Contact the Pakistani Embassy in your country and respectfully demand justice for Maria Shahbaz and all victims of forced conversion and child marriage.
• Share this story on social media. The worst thing we can do is remain silent while a child's life is being destroyed.