A 13-year-old Pakistani Christian girl is fighting in court to reunite with her family after a judge returned her to the custody of the 30-year-old Muslim man who abducted her last year.

Maria Shahbaz was kidnapped from her Christian home in July 2025 by Shehryar Ahmad, who married her against her will and forced her to convert to Islam. Shahbaz has since been "exposed to grave abuse and exploitation," according to a press release from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a nonprofit legal advocacy group.

An earlier investigation found that she was a minor and that her marriage documents were forged. Even so, Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court reportedly did not confirm her age before ruling in February that she should remain in Ahmad's custody. The ruling contradicts Pakistani law, which does not allow minors to consent to marriage or religious conversion.

As Shahbaz awaits another court hearing, local lawyer Lazar Allah Rakha said the Pakistani judiciary has a chance to correct a grave error.

"The court that is due to hear this case has an opportunity to correct a serious injustice. Maria is a child. She was abducted, her documents were found to be forged, and the court handed her back to the man who took her — without even confirming her age. That cannot be allowed to stand," Rakha said.



"This is not just about Maria, though Maria's situation is urgent and she must be brought home. This ruling, if it stands, will further erode the confidence of the minority communities in the justice system. This review petition is an opportunity for the court to relook at their previous order and implement the law," he added.

Despite heated debate among lawmakers, Punjab, Pakistan's largest province, passed updated legislation this year to reinforce the minimum marriage age of 18 and require courts to prioritize the best interests of the child in such cases. The bill replaced provisions of Punjab's Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, which allowed girls to marry at 16 and boys at 18.

The change came as international bodies — including United Nations experts, members of the European Parliament and U.K. lawmakers — have repeatedly raised concerns about forced marriages and conversions in Pakistan, where more than 1,000 underage girls are reportedly subjected to these practices each year.

The European Parliament recently addressed Shahbaz's case directly, passing a resolution last week that denounced her treatment and called for her "to have access to legal representation, her family, and psychological support." The resolution also condemned "similar abuses committed against underage girls belonging to religious minorities, underlining that her case is emblematic of broader human rights violations faced by minorities in Pakistan."

ADF, which has supported Shahbaz's case while pushing for stronger protections against forced conversions and child marriages, argues that no child should be denied their fundamental human rights and religious freedom.

"Throughout Pakistan, the pattern of abductions, forced conversions, and coerced marriages of underage girls to much older men is alarming. Hundreds of girls each year find themselves victims of these sham marriages, losing their personal freedoms and facing exploitation and abuse," said Tehmina Arora, ADF's Asia director of advocacy.

"Maria is only 13 years old, yet she has been through more than any child should ever have to face. The court must now do what is right by granting her freedom and establishing a precedent that will protect vulnerable young girls from these horrific acts," she added.

ADF has aided several other Pakistani girls in similar circumstances. One was 16-year-old Reeha Saleem, who in 2019 was abducted near her school in Punjab by four men, subjected to violence and forcibly married. After escaping two months later, local police initially refused to help her because she was still considered married, though a court later annulled the marriage.

Another was 14-year-old Maira, who was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married against her will. After she fled her abusive captor, a court initially ordered her return to him, but she was eventually freed and reunited with her family with ADF's legal support.

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