July 24, 2026
By Hafizullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
A hearing was held in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) Islamabad, after a review petition was filed and admitted, regarding the alleged abduction and underage marriage of a minor girl, Maria Shahbaz. Maria, whose parents claim, was just 13 years old, was a resident of Lahore, and was abducted from her residence by a man in his 30s who claimed to be a friend of the family’s, coerced into marriage and faith conversion. The incident took place in July 2025.
Friday’s hearing was conducted by a two-member division bench comprising Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Aamer Farooq. Advocate Supreme Court Saqib Jillani appeared in court on behalf of the affected family.
During the hearing, referring to previous case records, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi stated that in past appearances before the Session Court, High Court, and Supreme Court, the girl had always spoken of her own free will, and there was no impression anywhere that any coercion had taken place with her.
Expressing concern over incidents of underage girls being lured away in the country, Justice Rizvi remarked that this issue did not pertain to any single religion but was a matter of reflection for the entire society, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should also raise their voice on it.
The court inquired from the prosecution lawyer what should happen if a minor girl runs away and gets married. To this, Advocate Saqib Jillani took the stance that in such a scenario, an underage marriage must be declared completely null and void, adding that the review petition had been brought before the court on this very basis.
Advocate Saqib Jillani spoke to Voicepk after the court proceedings.
“The court has issued notices and recognized that this is a very sensitive and important case,” he said. “They have summoned the Attorney General personally to assist on the recent judgment by the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) in context of fundamental constitutional rights. According to the decision of the FSC itself, maturity does not just mean physical, or attaining the age of puberty, but mental maturity is also a mandatory condition for marriage.”
After hearing all the arguments, the court issued notices to summon the girl and her husband to question them face-to-face, as well as to the Attorney General for legal assistance to the court.
During the hearing, Maria Shahbaz’s father and mother Erum were also present in the courtroom, deeply distressed and exhausted. They refrained from speaking to the media, but in earlier interviews they have expressed their desperation for a verdict that could bring back their girl.
Several activists made their presence in court at the start of the important court proceedings including HRCP member Safdar Chaudhry who has also lobbied on other forced conversion cases including one from Islamabad of Anila Masih; others included Asif Aqueel, Mary James Gill, and Sohail Habel from HARDS organization, Lahore.
Also present at the court hearing, renowned human rights activist Tahira Abdullah also gave a strong reaction against the mindset behind such incidents involving minor girls from minority communities.
“There is a segment that questions why Christians are living, thriving, and residing happily and safely in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan—that they should not live here or receive protection,” she said. “They feel the same way about Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Baha’is, Kalash—they simply cannot tolerate that people of other faiths live happily, safely, thrive, and flourish inside the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
Human rights activists like Tahira Abdullah have expressed hope that the final verdict of the apex court in this case will help curb serious issues such as the protection of underage girls, forced marriages, and forced religious conversions.
Review petition
According to Advocate Saqib Jillani, the review petition, which had been filed on 15 May 2026, raises substantial constitutional questions concerning the scope of the Federal Constitutional Court’s jurisdiction. It contends that the Court exceeded its constitutional authority by deciding issues that fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Shariat Court under Article 203-G of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The petition extends beyond the circumstances of Maria Shahbaz and raises broader constitutional questions concerning the protection of fundamental rights, including freedom of religion, the rights of children, due process, and the constitutional allocation of jurisdiction between Pakistan’s superior courts. The petition submits that authoritative judicial guidance on these issues is necessary to ensure the consistent application of constitutional principles and effective protection for vulnerable children.
The petition further argues that the impugned judgment relied on legal precedents that have since been superseded by the Federal Shariat Court’s decision in Ali Azhar v. Province of Sindh, which affirmed that statutory prohibitions on child marriage are compatible with Islamic injunctions and reinforced the legal framework protecting children from child marriage.
It also challenges the continued reliance on outdated jurisprudence suggesting that child marriages remain legally valid despite statutory prohibitions, arguing that such reasoning is inconsistent with recent constitutional and Islamic legal developments and undermines child protection laws.
Joseph Janssen, Advocacy Officer representing international NGO, Jubilee Campaign which has been raising this issue at the European Parliament and the United Nations, welcomed the Court’s decision to take up the review petition and re examine the case.
“The Federal Constitutional Court’s decision to admit this review petition is a significant step toward ensuring that important constitutional questions receive the judicial scrutiny they deserve,” he said. “Maria’s case extends far beyond the circumstances of just one child. It raises fundamental issues concerning the protection of children from forced marriage and exploitation, freedom of religion or belief, due process, and the proper constitutional distribution of jurisdiction between Pakistan’s superior courts. We are encouraged that the Court has agreed to hear the review petition and remain hopeful that it will undertake a thorough, transparent, and impartial review in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan, the best interests of the child, and applicable child protection laws.”
Janssen said that a well-reasoned judgment would have the potential to not only deliver justice for Maria Shahbaz but also to strengthen legal protections for vulnerable children and reinforce the protection of fundamental human rights throughout Pakistan, and said his organization remained committed to advocating for the freedom of religion or belief, the protection of vulnerable children, and the rule of law.
“Jubilee Campaign will continue to monitor the proceedings closely and support efforts to ensure justice for Maria Shahbaz while strengthening legal safeguards against child marriage, forced conversion, and child exploitation,” he said.
Stolen Girls report shines light on grim circumstances
A new report launched by the Jubilee Campaign, titled Stolen Girls, documented at least 210 cases of minor Christian girls across Pakistan who were abducted, forcibly converted, subjected to child marriage, and sexually abused between 2019 and 2025. The report highlights a recurring pattern of abuse, including falsification of ages on marriage documents, manipulation of conversion records, failures in law enforcement, and the lack of effective protection for vulnerable minor girls.
The report reveals that nearly 89 percent of cases occurred in Punjab, with Lahore and Faisalabad emerging as the principal hotspots. Overall, 83 percent of all victims were children under the age of eighteen. The report indicates that the average age difference between girls and their abductors was 23 years, while in several cases the age difference exceeded 30 years, exposing the extreme imbalance of power involved in these crimes.
In 96 percent of cases, girls were assigned new Islamic names following their forced conversion, while 92 percent had their ages deliberately falsified on marriage certificates to portray them as adults. The report concludes that these practices are frequently used to allow perpetrators to enjoy impunity and prevent girls from reuniting with their families.