Washington, April 11 – Bishop Samson Shukardin, the head of the Catholic Church in Pakistan, has expressed concern over a government committee formed to review a recent ruling by the country’s top constitutional court that validated the marriage and forced conversion of a Christian minor girl.
On April 5, Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, announced the formation of a committee to review the March 25 judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court, which validated the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz to 30-year-old Shaheryar Ahmad.
Shukardin, President of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC), was quoted by the American media outlet Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) as expressing his doubts about the move: “These issues often resolve themselves once such committees release their reports. The process is deliberately delayed so that people forget. This is fundamentally an issue of religious freedom. Consent is often coerced from minors. We are awaiting a genuine response from the government. Many Muslim clerics support us but have avoided joining public protests."
Citing allegations made by Maria's father, Shehbaz Masih, the report said that Maria was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married against her will.
It added that the family submitted a certificate issued by Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) showing that Maria was 13 at the time of the marriage — below the legal minimum age of 18.
The incident occurred in July 2025, when Masih, a resident of Lahore, reported that his daughter was abducted by a Muslim man while she was going to a nearby shop.
The court rejected a petition filed by the father seeking custody, upholding the marriage under "Muhammadan law" and granting legal guardianship to the husband.
According to the report, for decades, rights groups have called for "stronger legal and administrative measures" to protect girls from minority communities across Pakistan against abduction and forced religious conversion.
The report cited the Lahore-based Centre for Social Justice, which has documented over 515 cases of abduction and forced conversion of minority girls and women in the country between 2021 and 2025.
"Hindu girls accounted for 69 per cent (353 cases), followed by Christian girls at 31 per cent (160 cases). Most victims were under 18, with cases concentrated in Sindh and Punjab," it added.
Shukardin said that courts in the Muslim-majority country often failed to enforce laws prohibiting marriage under 18 years of age.
“The Church is not in favour of marriages involving conversion under such circumstances. We demand safety for our daughters and will continue to raise our voice for underage brides of any religion," ETW quoted him as saying.
