The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on Pakistan to establish a national mechanism to handle complaints from families of abducted or forcibly converted girls from religious minorities.
Highlighting the case of 13-year-old Christian girl Maria Shahbaz, the resolution urged Pakistani authorities to ensure that she has access to legal representation, her family and psychological support. It also condemned the abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage of underage girls from religious minority communities, describing Maria’s case as emblematic of broader human rights violations in Pakistan.
Citing United Nations figures for 2025, the resolution noted that among women and girls subjected to forced conversion through marriage, about 75 percent were Hindu and 25 percent were Christian.
“Parliament urges Pakistan’s authorities to fully implement the country’s national framework to end child marriage, as is already the case in some provinces of the country, and create a national mechanism for handling complaints from families of abducted or forcibly converted girls from minorities,” the resolution stated.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) also called on Pakistan to protect religious minorities, ensure that all cases involving minors or allegations of coercion are investigated transparently and independently, prosecute perpetrators, strengthen the country's judicial framework, and ensure abducted girls can safely return home.
Maria was abducted from her family in July 2025 by 30-year-old Shehryar Ahmad, who allegedly forced her to convert to Islam and marry him. Her family moved Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court, seeking her return. On Feb. 3, however, the court upheld the marriage and returned custody of the child to Ahmad.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is supporting Maria’s legal case, welcomed the European Parliament’s resolution.
“Shahbaz now waits for a hearing date to be set after the Federal Constitutional Court failed to verify her age and returned her to the custody of her abductor,” ADF International stated. “ADF continues to advocate for victims of child marriage and forced conversion, holding that no child should be entrapped in a sham marriage, nor stripped of their basic rights or religious freedom.”
Tehmina Arora, ADF International’s director of advocacy for Asia, said Maria’s case reflected a wider pattern of abuse.
“Throughout Pakistan, the pattern of abductions, forced conversions and coerced marriages of underage girls to much older men is alarming,” Arora said. “Hundreds of girls each year find themselves victims of these sham marriages, losing their personal freedoms and facing exploitation and abuse. 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.”
Under Pakistani law and international human rights standards, a minor cannot legally consent to either marriage or religious conversion, ADF International noted. It added that an earlier investigation had confirmed Maria was underage and found her marriage certificate to be forged, but the Federal Constitutional Court nonetheless awarded custody to Ahmad.
“The court that is due to hear this case has an opportunity to correct a serious injustice,” said Lazar Allah Rakha, a Pakistani Christian attorney who has represented several victims of forced conversion and child marriage. “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.”
Shahbaz’s case reflects a broader pattern affecting religious minority girls in Pakistan, according to ADF International.
“More than 1,000 underage girls are forced into conversion and marriage every year in Pakistan,” the organization said. “The pattern is consistent: abduction, fabrication of marriage and conversion documents, and then reliance on those documents before courts to block a family’s access to their child. Local authorities are often complicit, and courts have frequently failed to uphold the country’s child marriage laws.”
Rakha said the pending review petition offers the court an opportunity to restore confidence in the justice system.
“This is not just about Maria, though Maria’s situation is urgent and she must be brought home,” he said. “If this ruling stands, it will further erode the confidence of minority communities in Pakistan’s justice system. This review petition gives the court an opportunity to reconsider its earlier decision and apply the law.”
ADF also noted recent legislative progress in Pakistan. Earlier this year, Punjab, the country’s most populous province, enacted the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 and requiring courts to prioritize the best interests of children in marriage-related cases.
The organization said the legislation comes amid growing international concern over forced conversions and child marriages in Pakistan, including calls for reform from U.N. experts, members of the European Parliament and British lawmakers.
International advocacy organizations continue to rank Pakistan among the world’s most difficult countries for Christians. In its 2026 World Watch List, Open Doors ranked Pakistan eighth among the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, citing systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversions, bonded labor and gender-based abuses. The organization also said weak law enforcement and widespread impunity have enabled perpetrators of anti-Christian violence to escape accountability.
