Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Pakistani Christian girl, was abducted from her family by 30-year-old Shehryar Ahmad in July 2025. She was forced to renounce her faith and marry her kidnapper. She has since been “exposed to grave abuse and exploitation," according to Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF).
In February 2026, Shahbaz's case was taken to Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court. Rather than returning Shabaz to her parents, the Court instead returned custody to her abductor, subjecting her to further abuse and jeopardizing her safety. The court never confirmed Shahbaz’s age, in violation of Pakistani law.
On July 9, 2026, the European Parliament (EP) highlighted Shahbaz’s case in a newly adopted resolution. They called for Shahbaz’s return to her family and condemned the broader, disturbing pattern of abductions, forced conversions to Islam, and child marriages throughout Pakistan.
The Members of European Parliament (MEPs), through the resolution, also called on Pakistan to fully implement the country’s national framework to end child marriage. They further advocated for the creation of a national mechanism for handling complaints from families of abducted or forcibly converted girls from minorities.
The resolution emphasized Shahbaz's case:
"MEPs are calling for her [Shahbaz] to have access to legal representation, her family, and psychological support," the resolution stated. "They condemn similar abuses committed against underage girls belonging to religious minorities, underlining that her case is emblematic of broader human rights violations faced by minorities in Pakistan; according to UN figures in 2025, among women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage, around 75% were Hindu and 25% were Christian.”
"MEPs call for the protection of religious minorities and urge Pakistan’s government to ensure that all cases involving minors or allegations of coercion are subject to transparent and independent investigations. The perpetrators must be prosecuted and Pakistan’s judicial framework strengthened, they add, and abducted girls must be able to return safely."
Shahbaz continues to seek justice in court. She is waiting 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.
Tomislav Sokol, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), said: "The European Union must consistently raise this issue in all its political and economic relations with Pakistan and make it clear that the persecution of Christians will not go unanswered."
Meanwhile, the ADF is supporting Shahbaz's case and calling for an end to forced marriage and conversions in Pakistan.
In a written statement, Tehmina Arora, Director of Advocacy for Asia at Alliance Defending Freedom, said:
Throughout Pakistan, the pattern of abductions, forced conversions, and coerced marriages of underage girls to much older men is alarming. Hundreds of girls each year find themselves victims of these sham marriages, losing their personal freedoms and facing exploitation and abuse.
Maria [Shahbaz] 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.
A previous investigation had confirmed Shahbaz was a minor prior to the court's recent ruling and the investigation also found that the marriage certificate was forged. Nevertheless, Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court granted custody to her kidnapper.
“The court that is due to hear this case has an opportunity to correct a serious injustice. Maria [Shahbaz] 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,” stated Lazar Allah Rakha, a local allied lawyer following the case.
Shahbaz's case is not an isolated one. More than 1,000 underage non-Muslim girls are forced into conversion and marriage every year in Pakistan.
ADF reported:
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 Restraint Act, which sets the legal age of marriage for girls at 18 years.
ADF has supported dozens of girls who have suffered these abuses. Reeha Saleem was 16 years old when she was abducted by her neighbor while on her way home from school in the Gujrat district. She was taken to an unknown location by four men, subjected to violence, and forcibly married to one of her captors. She escaped after two months of abuse. However, she remained formally “married” to her abuser, and the police refused to protect her. Her marriage was ultimately annulled by a court in Pattoki in 2024.
In another case, 14-year-old Maira was forcibly married and converted from her Christian faith. She escaped her captor, but not before he brutalized, blackmailed, and forcibly converted her. When she sought justice, a high court initially ordered that she be returned to her abductor. With legal support from ADF, she was ultimately freed from the coerced marriage and returned safely to her family.
Meanwhile, Pakistan currently benefits from the European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+). This highly lucrative trade arrangement grants the country complete duty suspensions on approximately 66% of all EU tariff lines. This effectively offers duty-free access to the European market.
In exchange for these trade benefits, Pakistan is required to implement and uphold 27 core international conventions regarding human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and good governance.
The GSP+ program has been an essential lifeline for the Pakistani economy, particularly for its textile and apparel industries. European Union imports from Pakistan were $9.82 billion during 2025, according to the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database on international trade. The EU remains Pakistan's largest export destination, absorbing nearly 30% of its global trade and surpassing the United States and China combined.
The current iteration of the GSP+ framework is scheduled to end on Dec. 31, 2026. While Pakistan has formally started preparatory work for its reapplication under the renewed regulations set to enter into force in 2027, Pakistan's continued eligibility has come under severe scrutiny.
The European Parliament has repeatedly warned Pakistan regarding its human rights record. It has cited concerns over minority protections, press freedom, and the misuse of blasphemy laws. This puts vital trade privileges at risk of being stripped if compliance is deemed insufficient.
The EP should now turn its words into action. Western governments should stop projecting their own wishes onto Pakistan and should see Pakistan's government as it really is: An oppressive regime that refuses to help its non-Muslim citizens live in safety and dignity.
Pakistanis can only be supported by stopping their atrocities and cutting off all Western funds and aid until Pakistan takes meaningful steps to end those atrocities and protect the victims. The West can do this in one minute and with no money. Europe and the West can also insist that all future funding be linked to Pakistan educating its children for respect for non-Muslims instead of dominance and abuse. The funding first needs to be linked to changes. The funding then needs to be paid out after the changes have been made — and maintained. No reforms or changes, no funding. No protection for religious minorities, no funding. The only way to help Pakistan is by changing the expectations of Pakistanis about what is acceptable — and by staying committed to those changes over time.
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