Christian parents of a minor girl in Pakistan were dealt another blow in their 16-month quest to recover their daughter from her kidnapper, who forced her to marry him.
Maria Shahbaz was 12 when she was abducted in July 2025, forced to convert to Islam and marry her captor, Christian Daily International-Morning Star News reported.
Previous court decisions have kept her in the custody of Sheharyar Ahmad, the Muslim who allegedly kidnapped her, and in March a magistrate canceled the police case against him.
On Oct. 1, however, the Lahore High Court ordered that the police case against Ahmad be reinstated, Christian Daily-Morning Star said.
Failed summons
Then, 20 days later, because a summons failed to be delivered to the accuser, the Federal Constitutional Court adjourned a hearing on the parents’ petition to recover Maria. The reason cited for not serving the summons was an “incomplete residential address,” though the court ordered the summons reissued, the news outlet said.
World Watch List
Pakistan is No. 8 on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
Share with others: