A twelve-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan has been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married by a Muslim man, while local authorities delayed efforts to recover her, her family claims.

Parveen Shaukat, a Catholic widow and mother of eight, reported that her youngest daughter, Fairy Shaukat, was kidnapped by Muhammad Asad in Kasur District, Punjab Province on 9th August.

Shaukat told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that Fairy had gone to a nearby shop but never returned.

A neighbor informed the family that he had witnessed Asad abducting Fairy.

The family alerted the police, but they allege that the authorities' inaction allowed Asad sufficient time to convert the minor girl to Islam and marry her.

Shaukat told the outlet:  “Fairy is just twelve years old. She had no access to a cell phone and rarely left the house alone.

“She was targeted by Asad for sexual exploitation.”

Shafique plans to file a petition in the Lahore High Court for Fairy’s recovery and to charge Asad with crimes including child marriage and rape. 

“Police delays in cases involving underage minority girls allow perpetrators to scar these children for life” Shafique stated.

Child marriage and forced conversions are common in Pakistan, particularly among religious minorities.

Efforts to raise the legal marriage age to 18 years through the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2024, are underway.

Pakistan is ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most challenging places to be a Christian.