Islamabad, April 10: Concerns are mounting among bishops in Pakistan after the Federal Constitutional Court recognized the marriage of a minor Christian girl. The Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (PCBC) stated that courts do not consistently enforce laws prohibiting marriage under the age of 18. They described this selective application of the law as deeply troubling.
Bishop Samson Shukardin, president of the PCBC, highlighted that legal decisions regarding kidnapped Christian girls are often not made in accordance with the law. Similarly, Archbishop Khalid Rahmat OFM Cap of Lahore expressed his discontent with the court’s ruling in a separate statement.
The Christian community is outraged following a decision by a two-member bench of the Federal Constitutional Court on March 25, which deemed the marriage between Christian girl Maria Bibi and Muslim man Shahryar Ahmed valid. The court dismissed a petition from Bibi’s father, Shahbaz Masih, who claimed that his daughter, approximately 13 years old, had been unlawfully taken in July 2025. The court acknowledged that the law considers underage marriage punishable but does not invalidate such unions.
On April 5, during Easter celebrations, the Christian community prayed for the protection of girls from abduction, forced conversions, and coerced marriages, following the recent court ruling.
According to a report by Eurasia Review, the Christian community in Pakistan protested against the court’s decision to recognize the marriage of a minor girl. Community leaders warned that this ruling could increase the risk of abductions, forced conversions, and marriages among Christian and Hindu girls.
On April 4, over 200 Christians participated in a protest rally in Hyderabad, organized by the Catholic Church’s human rights organization, the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), led by Bishop Simon Shukardin.
Christian groups argue that such interpretations endorse underage marriages, which contradict Pakistan’s laws, moral values, and international human rights standards. They view this ruling as a reflection of the judiciary’s conservative stance. The decision has drawn criticism not only within the country but also internationally, with members of the UK Parliament expressing their concerns.
Aftab Alexander Mughal, editor of Minority Concern Pakistan and former executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of Pakistan, wrote in Eurasia Review that, “While respecting Pakistan’s judicial independence, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on minority affairs in the UK stated that this case fits into well-documented patterns involving the abduction, forced conversion, and marriage of religious minority communities, particularly Christian and Hindu girls.”
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