Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – Human rights defenders have expressed grave concern over the handling of the case of an underage girl, who was abducted, forcibly converted, and coerced into marriage.
They strongly condemn the court’s decision to grant custody of the child to her abductor, a deeply troubling decision that exposes the victim to repeated violence, intimidation, and abuse.
They call for immediate action to ensure the girl's protection, uphold the rule of law, and hold all perpetrators accountable. Furthermore, they call on the government to enact comprehensive legislation that clearly criminalises coerced conversion.
Joseph Janssen, president of Voice for Justice, noted that forced conversion is a religiously motivated practice, made possible by the support or silence of those responsible for upholding the law.
He noted that in court he saw lawyers threaten the victim with punishment for apostasy if she renounced Islam, which he described as a grave abuse of legal and moral authority, dubbing it Islamic terror.
He explained that there is widespread belief that laws protecting minors, women, and minorities become ineffective once a person, regardless of age, converts to Islam.
Jansen appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to take immediate action to address what he calls an injustice and statutory rape, as well as the removal of a minor from her parents' custody.
He also vowed to raise the issue before international forums, including the United Nations and the European Parliament, unless the girl is returned to her family.
According to the facts, on 12 June, Mohsin Liaquat kidnapped the 13-year-old girl in Faisalabad. A First Information Report (FIR) under Section 365-B of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered at the Raza Abad police station.
Two weeks after the kidnapping, the police arrested the accused, rescued the victim from his custody, and placed her under the protective care of the Gender-Based Violence Unit of the Faisalabad Police.
On 27 June, the victim stated that the accused's family had coached and pressured her to falsely claim that she was an adult.
The perpetrators then presented a religious conversion certificate and a marriage certificate on which her birth date was fraudulently recorded as June 2008, despite her parents having married in 2012.
In light of these inconsistencies, the court ordered a medical examination to determine her age and directed that she be placed at Dar-ul-Aman, a government-run shelter, pending further proceedings.
On 25 July 2026, despite the serious contradictions, the session court granted custody of the girl to her abductor and purported husband, who was also granted bail.
For human rights activist Ashiknaz Khokhar, it is deeply troubling that the courts do not give due weight to official birth records and other documentary evidence in determining the age of child victims.
Ashiknaz Khokhar added that child protection must never be made subordinated to fabricated documents, coerced statements, or claims of consent obtained under conditions of vulnerability and control.
For him, this is a critical test of Pakistan’s commitment to protecting children, safeguarding the rights of religious minorities, and enforcing its own child protection laws.
He also noted that a minor's presumed consent or statement alone cannot determine custody or guardianship, warning that the court disregarded the victim's best interests.
Human rights activist Lala Robin Daniel said unfair investigations and trials are undermining progressive legislation, such as the Punjab Child Marriage Restriction Act 2026, legitimising child marriage and abuse in blatant disregard of the law’s provisions.
Daniel said the authorities responsible for delivering justice must recognise that child marriage and cohabitation resulting from it constitute criminal offences.
He went further, saying that Pakistani authorities have failed to address the persistent pattern of abductions, forced conversions, and child marriage affecting underage minority girls, this despite the European Parliament resolution of 9 July 2026, urging Pakistan to independently investigate all allegations, prosecute perpetrators and accomplices, ensure the safe recovery and protection of victims, strengthen judicial capacity, and fully implement child marriage laws across the country.
