A government committee in Pakistan is to review the case of a Christian teenager who has been forced to remain with her alleged abductor.

The parents of Maria Shabaz say she was kidnapped in July last year, forcibly converted to Islam, and made to marry. Earlier this year, a court ruling dashed their hopes of bringing her home.

The ruling was followed by a nationwide protest, which has now led the Pakistani government to form a 37-member national consultative committee to review the case and propose safeguards against forced conversions and marriages. 

Christian rights advocates and civil society groups strongly condemned the verdict by the FCC, saying that the court disregarded key evidence and prior findings indicating that the marriage was unlawful.   

An Open Doors UK & Ireland spokesperson said: “We urge the Government of Pakistan to take immediate action to protect all minors, regardless of religion or belief. 

“A judgment of this nature from a constitutional court sets a deeply concerning precedent and risks shaping similar decisions in lower courts. 

“We call for urgent justice and continue to pray for protection, accountability, and decisive action. Any delay will leave more girls at risk of forced conversion and sexual abuse.”

The legal age for marriage varies across Pakistan due to the country’s 18th Constitutional Amendment, which means each province makes its own law on child marriage. 

In Islamabad, Balochistan and Sindh, the minimum age for marriage is 18 for boys and girls. In Punjab, the minimum age for girls is 16 and 18 for boys. 

Pakistan is number eight on Open Doors’ World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.