Lahore, May 26, 2025 — In a case that has sparked serious concern among human rights advocates and minority communities, a local court in Lahore has handed over a 16-year-old Christian girl to a 32-year-old Muslim man she claims to have married, despite ongoing questions surrounding her age, the legality of the marriage, and possible coercion.

The girl was reported missing from her home in the early hours of April 30, 2025. Following a complaint by her family, a First Information Report (FIR No. 2592/25) was registered at the Factory Area Police Station under Section 365-B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which pertains to kidnapping for the purpose of forced marriage or sexual exploitation.

Police investigations later located the girl, who was then produced before Judicial Magistrate Hassan Sarfraz Cheema on May 16. During her statement recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the girl stated that she had willingly embraced Islam and married Azeem Ullah, a 32-year-old Muslim man who is also her neighbour. Based on her recorded testimony, the court allowed her to reside with him.

However, rights activists have raised alarm over the legal and ethical implications of the decision. According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act (Act XIX of 1929), any marriage involving a female under sixteen is classified as a child marriage and is a punishable offence. While the girl’s precise age remains unverified through official documents in court, her family maintains she is 16, rendering the marriage potentially illegal.

This case comes at a time when Pakistan’s Parliament has taken steps to address the issue of child marriage. The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2024, which sets the legal minimum age of marriage at 18 for both boys and girls, was passed by both the National Assembly and the Senate earlier this month. The bill now awaits the formal assent of President Asif Ali Zardari to become law.

Legal experts and civil society organizations argue that the absence of a uniform, nationwide minimum age of marriage continues to endanger underage girls, particularly those from minority communities, who are often vulnerable to forced conversions and exploitative marriages.

Calls are growing for the immediate implementation of harmonized marriage laws across all provinces, and for stricter enforcement mechanisms to prevent the misuse of religious and legal loopholes in cases involving minors.