ADF International
CV NEWS FEED // A Pakistani court has annulled the forced marriage and conversion of Shahida Bibi, a Christian girl who was taken from her family and faith at the age of 11.
Bibi’s ordeal began when her mother eloped with a Muslim man, who subsequently “gave” Bibi to his brother, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) reported March 10. She was later subjected to an Islamic marriage union at the age of 18, a move her captor used to evade Pakistan’s anti-child marriage laws. During her captivity, Bibi gave birth to two children.
A civil court in Bahawalpur ruled in February 2025 that Bibi’s marriage was invalid and ordered all official records to reflect her true identity as a Christian.
The ruling, supported by ADF International and allied attorneys, allows Bibi to return home to her father and reclaim her legal status and Christian identity.
“Nobody should suffer the horrors of abduction and forced marriage, further being forced to give up their faith,” said Tehmina Arora, ADF International’s director of advocacy for Asia.
Arora expressed gratitude that justice had been served.
“Shahida is now free and able to begin the process of healing from this ordeal,” she said. “These cases are a tremendous violation of these young women’s basic human rights, including their religious freedom.”
According to Arora, forced conversion and marriage abuses are “especially prevalent in Pakistan.”
Under the country’s Sharia law, marriage is permitted at the age of puberty, often superseding national laws that set the minimum marriage age between 16 and 18 years, according to ADF International.
Each year, more than 1,000 girls from minority backgrounds in Pakistan are abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married against their will.
Many Christian girls and young women face significant barriers when trying to escape forced marriages, fearing for their safety and the well-being of their families. According to ADF, even when cases are brought to court, the legal system often prioritizes Islamic conversion over the rights of religious minorities.
“Every person under international law has the right to freely choose and live out their faith without fear of violence,” Arora asserted. “Every state, including Pakistan, must ensure that their laws and policies are in line with their commitments to protect religious freedom under international law, and that the laws they do have in place to protect girls from these violations are enforced.”
The court’s decision comes at a time of increasing international scrutiny of Pakistan’s human rights record, according to ADF International. In January, the European Union issued a warning to Pakistan over its handling of blasphemy laws, forced conversions, and other religious freedom violations, cautioning that trade relations could be at risk if reforms were not made.
>> Pakistani Christian shares harrowing story of forced conversion and marriage at thirteen <<
Just last week, another young girl, 12-year-old Saba Shafique, was reunited with her parents after being abducted by a 35-year-old Muslim neighbor, Morning Star News reported. Shafique was taken from her home in Lahore Jan. 5 under the pretense of receiving gifts, only to be transported to another city, forcibly converted to Islam, and made to marry her captor.
Her abductor, Muhammad Ali, falsified Shafique’s documents to list her age as 18 and coerced her into recording a video stating she had converted and married him willingly.
For two months, she was held captive, locked in a room, beaten, and subjected to abuse whenever she cried for her parents. Shafique was finally rescued March 5 in a police raid, after her father persistently pursued legal action with the help of Christian advocacy groups.
