March 30, 2026
Iqra Manzoor
Lahore
Christian organisations and human rights groups staged protests outside the Karachi Press Club on Sunday, voicing concern over the safety of minor girls and calling for action against forced marriages and alleged religious conversions.
Multiple groups, including the National Christian Party, Gawahi Mission Trust, and other civil society representatives, held separate demonstrations. Participants — including women and young girls — carried placards and chanted slogans demanding protection and justice.
The protests come in response to a recent ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court in the widely discussed Maria Shahbaz case. In its judgement, the court upheld the marriage of a Christian woman, Maria Bibi, to a Muslim man, ruling that she had embraced Islam, was of lawful age, and had married of her own free will. The case was brought by her father, who claimed she was a minor and had been abducted, but the court dismissed these claims, citing her statements before a magistrate and inconsistencies in documents presented as proof of her age.
Protesters said the ruling had raised serious legal and social concerns within minority communities. They urged the chief justice to review the decision and called on the president and prime minister to take immediate notice.
Leaders of the demonstrations, including Bishop Kashif, Pastor Ghazala Shafique, Luke Victor, Shazia Samoon, Shabbir Shafqat, Pastor Sarfraz William, Parveen Parvez, and Dr. Sultan Sardar Bhatti, said the Christian community remained peaceful but was increasingly alarmed by incidents involving underage girls. They alleged that minor girls were being abducted, coerced into changing their religion, and married off, stressing the need for strict enforcement of laws to prevent such practices.
Rights activist and the church’s first female pastor, Ghazala Shafique, also expressed deep concern over the court ruling, saying it had left the Christian community in “distress, sorrow, disbelief and insecurity.” She added that the decision had heightened fear among already vulnerable families and warned that such rulings could be misused to justify marriages involving underage girls.
She further called for collective action, urging families, church members, and civil society to come together for a peaceful protest under the Women Pastors Council. “This is not only about saving our daughters, but about protecting the future of our children,” she said, inviting citizens to raise their voices and demand accountability.
The protesters also questioned how minors — who cannot legally obtain identity documents independently — could be considered capable of making decisions regarding religion and marriage. They called for stronger legislation, along with effective implementation of existing child marriage laws.
Community leaders emphasised the need for unity across religious groups and demanded equal rights and protection for minorities, warning that failure to address these concerns and revisit “controversial laws and decisions” could deepen insecurity among minority families.