ON July 29, 2025, Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Christian girl, was abducted in Lahore by her 30-year-old neighbour. She was subsequently forced to convert to Islam and marry her captor. A police investigation confirmed that the marriage certificate produced by the abductor was fabricated and not registered with any union council. The girl’s father presented the Nadra-issued B-Form and school records to the honourable court, as evidence of her age. However, on Feb 3, 2026, despite the evidence, the court ruled in favour of the abductor, upheld the marriage and awarded the custody of the 13-year-old child to her captor. The court cited inconsistencies in the filing of dates and stated that her “physical appearance” suggested she was older than 13.

According to Unicef’s latest annual report (2025), Pakistan is home to an estimated 19 million child brides. Despite Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and the Capital Territory enacting laws to curb child marriage, an estimated 600,000 to 700,000 girls are still married each year before the age of 18. A recent survey by the Strengthening Participatory Organisation revealed the alarming data that 59.2 per cent of the 1,200 respondents selected across districts in Sindh and Balochistan were........

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