Lahore (AsiaNews) – On 20 August, a 14-year-old boy, Shamraiz Masih (pictured), was escorted into a crowded Lahore High courtroom surrounded by strangers. His mother, Rehana Imran, had waited several days for this moment, hoping to finally hug her son.
Instead, she and all the people who had come to support her watched in disbelief as the court entrusted the boy to the care of relatives unconnected with the case, relatives who had never cared for him before, but who had converted to Islam years earlier. This made all the difference for the court.
For Rehana Bibi, a widow and mother of three, it was not only a legal and judicial setback, but a devastating confirmation of what she had always feared: the system had failed her, unwilling to provide her with care and protection, while her son was increasingly separated from his mother's warmth, as the issue of forced conversion cast its shadow on another case.
Shamraiz's story began in July when he went missing from his home in Sargodha, a city in Punjab province. The son of a poor Christian widow, the boy was working at a local motorcycle repair shop to help support his family.
Preying on his vulnerability, his employer and others began luring him with promises of money and a better life, while pressuring him to convert to Islam. Shortly thereafter, Shamraiz did not go home.
His family filed a complaint, but instead of seeking and returning the child and ensuring his protection, the police and the judicial system defended and endorsed the kidnappers' actions.
His family started searching in the neighbourhood, reached out to friends, and again contacted police, but when they pleaded for help, they were met with more apathy and disinterest.
Eventually, some residents informed the family that Shamraiz was in the custody of influential Muslims in the area and had likely been forced to convert to Islam. For Rehana, his mother, it was the beginning of a nightmare that continues to this day.
“My son is my beloved child, he cannot decide for himself what religion to follow. They have stolen him from me, and now they are trying to change who he is,” Rehana bemoaned.
Since Shamraiz went missing, the family's modest home has become a revolving door of visitors: journalists, activists, strangers offering help. But almost no one has stayed long enough to make a difference. The relatives' frustration is compounded by their experience with the police.
According to Iqbal Masih, a respected elder in Sargodha's Christian community and a close supporter of the family, the local police station officer made a "chilling" statement when asked to search for Shamraiz.
He told Iqbal Masih: “We can bring the boy back, but he will remain a Muslim. If anything happens to him, your family will be responsible.” Reacting to this, the Christian elder said: “I told him clearly, we want Shamraiz back as our Christian son. His faith is not for the police to decide.”
“At 14, Shamraiz is legally a minor. Under Pakistani law, minors cannot make binding decisions on religion or custody,” said Azhar S Malik, president of the Edge Foundation, an organisation that is providing legal and non-legal assistance to the family.
“International law, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which Pakistan has ratified, also emphasises the ‘best interests of the child’, which should not be confused with coerced expressions of will,” he explained.
Azhar S Malik adds: “This is not an isolated case. Every year, dozens of Christian and Hindu children, some as young as 12 or 13, are abducted, forcibly converted, and placed into situations that rob them of their childhood, identity, and families.”
However, for Rehana, the issue is not about the system or the law, but is a strictly personal story. As her eyes well up with tears, she whispers in a faint voice: "The court has taken my son from me. But he's still my child. I will not stop fighting” until he comes home.
