Pakistani court recognizes forced marriage of 13-year-old Christian girl as legal

Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court has handed down a high-profile ruling recognizing the forced marriage of 13-year-old Christian girl Maria Shabazz to her abductor as valid. Despite protests from human rights activists and international pressure, the court ordered the minor to return to the 30-year-old man who forcibly converted her to Islam.

The ruling was handed down on March 25, 2026, OpenDoors reported. Maria Shabazz was kidnapped in July 2025 at the age of 12. After her abduction, the girl was forced to change her religion and marry a man three times her age. It is noteworthy that in the Punjab province where these events took place, the legal age for marriage is 18 for both sexes, but the court ignored this norm.

The trial continued for several months after the girl’s father filed a petition demanding the return of his daughter. The final verdict triggered a wave of mass protests inside the country. Human rights activists accused the judicial system of ignoring key evidence of the illegality of the union and expressed fear that the precedent would undermine the authority of laws in lower courts and jeopardize other minors.

OpenDoors called on Pakistani authorities to take immediate action to protect children regardless of their religion. Earlier, the European Union also issued an official call on Islamabad to repeal blasphemy laws and the practice of forced marriage, emphasizing the need to comply with international human rights standards.