A Pakistani court has upheld the validity of a marriage involving a 13-year-old Christian girl, Maria Shahbaz, despite documentary evidence showing the marriage certificate was fabricated and official age records confirming she was a minor at the time.
On 29 July 2025, Maria Shahbaz was abducted in Lahore and subsequently subjected to forced conversion and coerced marriage. A re-investigation conducted on the directions of the Sessions Court found that the marriage certificate was fabricated, with the relevant Union Council confirming the absence of any official record. The Deputy Superintendent of Police restored the FIR and added further charges.
Despite this evidence, the Federal Constitutional Court awarded custody of the girl to her purported husband, effectively validating the marriage. The decision disregards documentary evidence of her age, including her birth registration issued by NADRA, as well as applicable legal protections under the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act and relevant High Court jurisprudence.
Human rights lawyers and defenders strongly condemned the recent judgment, terming the ruling "a missed opportunity to protect vulnerable individuals" and warning that it risks "deepening inequality and reinforcing a climate of impunity."
The advocates have demanded accountability of all actors involved in conversion and marriage-related cases, strengthening procedural safeguards to verify age, consent, and free will, and upholding constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and equality before the law. They have announced their intention to challenge the verdict through appeal.
The case highlights a disturbing regional pattern of child marriage and forced conversion that affects religious minorities across South Asia. While Pakistan has laws prohibiting child marriage, enforcement remains weak, particularly when cases involve religious conversion and minority communities.
For Christian and Hindu families in Pakistan, the judgment sends a chilling message about the protection available to their daughters. Human rights organizations have documented hundreds of similar cases in recent years, with girls as young as 12 or 13 abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to their abductors—marriages that courts have too often validated despite clear evidence of coercion and falsified documents.
