Lydia Daniel
On International Women’s Day 2024, the distressing forced conversion of a young Christian girl tainted the dawn. Laiba, the 10-year-old daughter of Sohail Masih from Hari Singh Wala, Samundri Road, Faisalabad, was abducted by Irfan Masih, a 40-year-old man practicing polygamy with three wives. Eventually, he took the girl to Shoukat Shah. Laiba’s parents tirelessly searched for her and eventually discovered that Laiba was with Shoukat Shah. They approached Shoukat Shah and requested the return of their daughter.
Nevertheless, Shoukat Shah declined to hand the girl over to her parents, arguing that he had converted her to Islam and, therefore, she could not be returned to her Christian parents. Christian activists expressed their dismay and assisted the family in filing a complaint against Shoukat Shah. Additionally, they aided in sending an appeal for justice to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the provincial Minister of Human Rights, Khalil Tahir Sandhu, on behalf of the family. While the country witnessed its first-ever female chief minister, Maryam Nawaz, in 2024, the concern is whether she will be able to deliver justice to a Christian girl and hold the culprits accountable.
This isn’t just a singular case. It’s an ongoing series of awful tales with no foreseeable conclusion. In March 2022, Persicla Dilawar, a 15-year-old Christian girl, was abducted from her home in Sumundhari, Faisalabad. Dilawar, the father, reported that a Muslim man named Muhammad Qasim forcibly took their daughter while they were asleep and threatened them with death if they spoke about it. Subsequently, Qasim converted and married Persicla.
In April 2020, Maira Shahbaz, a 14-year-old girl, was abducted at gunpoint by three men from Faisalabad. She was coerced into converting religions and marrying one of her abductors. Following this, her family filed a lawsuit contesting the marriage documents that falsely stated Shahbaz was 19 years old. Shahbaz was directed to a women’s shelter by the Faisalabad court until the Lahore High Court’s hearing, which later ordered her to return to the abductor. Meanwhile, Maira escaped and rejoined her family, revealing threats and blackmail by her abductor. She and her family live in hiding.
In June 2020, Farah Shaheen, a 12-year-old Christian girl, was forcefully abducted from Faisalabad by a 45-year-old man named Khizar Ahmad Ali. He compelled her to convert to Islam, married her against her will, and then shackled and confined her within a cattle pen under deplorable working conditions. Asif Masih, Farah’s father, faced abusive and derogatory treatment from the police while registering the First Information Report (FIR), compounded by the bias of the investigating officer. Christian activists intervened, prompting the National Commission on the Rights of the Child and Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights to actively monitor the case. The police rescued Farah in December 2020, although she bore cuts on her ankles from the shackles. Regrettably, the abductor, Khizer Hayat, managed to escape. The problem of forced conversions is prevalent in Pakistan, with Hindu girls often being targeted in the province of Sindh, while Christian girls face victimization in Punjab. However, the Faisalabad District in Punjab stands out as a hotspot for incidents of forced conversions.
Annually in Pakistan, nearly 1,000 girls endure forced conversions to Islam, often through abduction or deceit (VOA, 2020). The Centre for Social Justice Lahore reported a surge in forced conversion incidents in 2021, with an 80% increase compared to 2020 and a 50% increase compared to 2019. Between January and December 2023, Pakistan saw a surge in cases of abduction and forced conversions, particularly affecting minority girls and women, with at least 136 incidents documented. Among them, 110 were Hindus, and 26 were Christians, with most incidents concentrated in Sindh (107), followed by Punjab (28) and Balochistan (1). Out of the abducted girls, 102 were converted, while the whereabouts of 34 remained unknown. These cases often involve multiple criminal offenses, including assault, kidnapping, forced marriage, statutory rape, gang rape, forced prostitution, and the use of force.
Moreover, it violates several existing laws. Among the girls involved, 77% were younger than 18 years old, and around 18% were younger than 14. The age of 9% of the girls was uncertain. Consequently, this breaches the Child Marriage Restraint Acts in three provinces, particularly in Sindh, where the minimum age for marriage is 18 years.
Unfortunately, no specific law exists to address forced conversions in Pakistan. Previous attempts to enact comprehensive legislation have been met with resistance, with bills in 2016 and 2019 being rejected. The Protection of Rights of Minorities Bill, 2020, which addressed forced conversion, was also rejected by the Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on September 24, 2020. These bills proposed measures such as setting an age limit of 18 for conversions, ensuring due process, and imposing jail terms for coercion in faith conversion. Pakistani Islamists have criticized efforts to introduce anti-forced conversion laws as a Western scheme to tarnish Pakistan’s image. Naveed Aamir Jeeva, a Christian politician advocating for this legislation, faced criticism from Muslims who viewed it as anti-Islamic in an Islamic state like Pakistan. On September 15, the top Twitter trend in Pakistan was “#RejectAntiIslamBill,” amidst a heated media discourse surrounding the proposed legislation aimed at combating forced religious conversions.
U.N. experts express grave concerns over the reported increase in abductions, forced marriages, and conversions affecting underage girls and young women from religious minorities. They urge swift actions to curb these practices and ensure justice for the victims. The U.N. Human Rights Council, in its review of Pakistan’s human rights compliance under the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, discussed the issue of forced conversions, leading to the formulation of five recommendations directed toward the Pakistani government aimed at mitigating forced conversions.
Article 18 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, to which the Government of Pakistan has been a State Party since 2010, provides that “No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.” Likewise, Article 20 (a) of the constitution guarantees that “subject to law, public order, and morality, every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice, and propagate his religion.”
Nevertheless, certain governmental actions have curtailed religious freedom, especially among minority religious groups. For instance, on January 31, 2023, the Federal Ministry of Religious Affairs held a seminar in Islamabad aimed at refuting claims of forced conversions of minor Hindu and Christian girls. The seminar sparked agitation among Christian attendees due to remarks made by speakers, particularly Mian (Mithu) Abdul Khaliq, who boasted of converting numerous Hindus, primarily girls. Despite efforts by the Minister for Religious Affairs, affiliated with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, to appease the Christian participants, they staged a protest walkout.
The issue of forced conversions of minority girls, particularly Christians, in Pakistan is a deeply concerning and pervasive problem. The recent case of Laiba, along with numerous other documented instances, highlights the systematic abuse and violation of human rights faced by vulnerable individuals. Despite occasional efforts by activists and concerned citizens to seek justice, the lack of specific legislation addressing forced conversions perpetuates impunity for perpetrators and exacerbates the suffering of victims.
It is imperative for the Pakistani government to acknowledge and address the issue of forced conversions through comprehensive legislation that protects the rights of religious minorities, particularly girls and women. This legislation should ensure due process, set an age limit for conversions, and impose penalties for coercion. Moreover, law enforcement agencies must be trained to handle such cases sensitively and without bias. International pressure, including recommendations from U.N. experts and compliance with international treaties like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, should be leveraged to hold Pakistan accountable for its obligations to protect religious freedom and human rights for all its citizens. Additionally, efforts to educate communities and promote interfaith dialogue are crucial in fostering tolerance and preventing future incidents of forced conversions.
