Purported Islamic marriage certificates of Sidra Bibi lacks her nationwide ID quantity, which is a authorized requirement. (Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information)
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Every day Worldwide–Morning Star Information) – Police in Pakistan have declined to get well a 15-year-old Christian lady who was kidnapped at gunpoint, forcibly transformed to Islam and married to the kidnapper, in line with her father.
Afzal Javed Masih of Chak No. 648-GB village in Jaranwala, in Punjab Province’s Faisalabad Division, mentioned that his daughter, Sidra Bibi, was taken from their dwelling within the early hours of March 27 by a Muslim, Ali Murtaza, and two accomplices. The boys scaled the wall of his home at round 3 a.m. and took Sidra away at gunpoint, he mentioned.
Masih, who collects scrap in Sialkot District to supply a livelihood for his household again within the village, mentioned family dwelling on the time knowledgeable him of the kidnapping.
“I instantly returned to the village and registered a First Info Report [FIR] the identical day, hoping for my daughter’s protected restoration,” he advised Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information.
Police promptly registered the case however inaccurately recorded Sidra’s age as 17 yr outdated as a substitute of 15 and 7 months, as said on her official start certificates, Masih mentioned.
“I’m illiterate and solely discovered of this discrepancy later, when a rights activist pointed it out,” he mentioned.
Police initially detained family of the suspect however later launched them after paperwork surfaced purporting that Sidra had transformed to Islam and married Murtaza of her personal free will in Rahim Yar Khan District in South Punjab, Masih mentioned.
He rejected the authenticity of the paperwork, which included an affidavit allegedly signed by his daughter stating that she was an grownup and had embraced Islam after publicity to spiritual content material on social media.
“This declare is absurd,” Masih advised Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “My daughter has by no means attended college, and our household doesn’t personal a sensible cellphone resulting from our monetary situation.”
He mentioned Murtaza had beforehand harassed the household.
“Final yr, he fired photographs at our home after I objected to him loitering outdoors,” Masih mentioned. “Regardless of my criticism, police took no significant motion. Had they acted then, this incident may need been prevented.”
Masih added that the investigation has stalled, leaving the household with little hope of recovering their daughter, the eldest of his youngsters. He famous that his household is the one Christian family within the village, elevating issues about vulnerability resulting from their minority standing.
His family consists of his spouse, the couple’s 5 youngsters and his aged mother and father.
Authorized consultants have criticized the dealing with of the case, pointing to potential violations of kid safety legal guidelines. Lazar Allah Rakha, a senior Christian lawyer who has represented victims in related instances, mentioned police had been obligated to pursue the case below the Punjab Youngster Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026, no matter discrepancies within the FIR.
“Even when the lady’s age is incorrectly said as 17, the legislation prohibits marriage below 18,” Rakha advised Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “Police must also have invoked further prices, together with these associated to statutory rape and abduction.”
He additionally famous irregularities within the purported Nikahnama, or Islamic marriage certificates, together with the absence of Sidra’s nationwide id card quantity, which is a authorized requirement. The Islamic conversion doc additionally doesn’t include her ID card quantity, he mentioned.
Police couldn’t be reached for remark.
Rakha welcomed latest legislative efforts to curb little one marriages however warned that weak enforcement undermines their effectiveness.
“Courts should require verifiable proof of age, even the place a lady claims she consented,” he mentioned. “Too typically, courts settle for such statements regardless of official documentation indicating minority.”
Police steadily omit key prison provisions from FIRs, contributing to a local weather of impunity, he mentioned.
Rakha additional expressed concern that the proposed legislation doesn’t declare little one marriages void from the outset (ab initio), which means such unions might stay legally legitimate even when coercion is later established.
“This authorized hole leaves victims weak even after rescue,” he mentioned, urging lawmakers to introduce amendments.
On Monday (April 13), a provincial meeting committee authorized the Punjab Youngster Marriage Restraint Invoice 2026, advancing it for additional consideration. The invoice follows an ordinance promulgated on Feb. 11 by Punjab Gov. Sardar Saleem Haider, which is about to lapse in Could if not enacted into legislation.
The proposed laws seeks to lift the minimal authorized age of marriage to 18 for each women and men, changing provisions of the Youngster Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. It classifies little one marriage as a cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable offense, with penalties together with as much as seven years’ imprisonment and fines of as much as 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500).
It additionally introduces penalties for marriage registrars who facilitate underage marriages, criminalizes cohabitation ensuing from such unions as little one abuse and imposes legal responsibility on mother and father or guardians who allow them. Instances can be tried in periods courts with a mandated 90-day timeframe for decision.
Regardless of these measures, rights advocates say enforcement stays a vital problem, notably in instances involving spiritual minorities.
Christian help group Open Doorways ranked Pakistan eighth on its 2026 World Watch Record of nations the place Christians face the best persecution, highlighting ongoing issues about compelled conversions, abductions and authorized protections for weak communities.
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