3/17/2025 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) — A civil court in Pakistan’s Punjab province has delivered a historic ruling, annulling the forced marriage of Shahida Bibi, a Christian girl abducted at age 11 and subjected to years of coercion and abuse.
International Christian Concern (ICC) praises this decision as a rare triumph against the epidemic of forced conversions and marriages plaguing Pakistan’s Christian minority while commending the extraordinary courage of the judges who defied extremist threats to secure justice.
Shahida’s nightmare began more than a decade ago when her mother eloped with a Muslim man, who then handed the 11-year-old over to his brother. After years of captivity and the birth of two children, Shahida was forced into an Islamic marriage at 18 — a calculated move to skirt Pakistan’s child marriage laws. With support from ADF International and allied lawyers, her case reached the Punjab court, which not only voided the union but also restored her official identity as a Christian, allowing her to reunite with her family. In a country where an estimated 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls face similar fates annually, this outcome offers some hope.
Pakistan’s roughly 4 million Christians — about 2% of its 240 million population — endure relentless persecution, often exacerbated by judicial inaction and the misuse of blasphemy laws. Courts have typically upheld such forced marriages under Sharia, ignoring secular protections, as seen in cases like Huma Younus, abducted at 14 in 2020. This ruling, however, marks a seismic shift, delivered by judges risking their lives in a nation where fundamentalists have targeted judicial figures for defying their agenda.
“This is a defining moment for Pakistan’s Christians,” said ICC President Jeff King. “Shahida Bibi’s story — from abduction at 11 to freedom after years of torment — exposes the brutality these girls face. ICC applauds the Punjab court and its fearless judges, who’ve put themselves in the line of fire from radicals to deliver justice. This could spark real change for a community crying out for protection.”
ICC calls on Pakistan’s government to protect these judges and enforce laws safeguarding religious minorities, urging the international community to press for systemic reforms to end this crisis. “One victory doesn’t erase decades of pain,” King noted, “but it’s a crack in the wall of impunity.”
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