A 14-year-old Christian boy from Sultan Town, Sargodha, who was reportedly kidnapped earlier this month, has now surfaced—claiming to have converted to Islam of his own free will. His elder brother, Sahil Masih, filed a complaint with the Urban Area Police Station, alleging that Shamraiz Masih, who worked as an apprentice at a local motorcycle repair workshop, had been abducted.

According to the family, Shamraiz was manipulated and coerced into religious conversion by his employer and others. A few days after his disappearance, he was brought before a magistrate and recorded a statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, declaring that he had embraced Islam voluntarily. However, his family firmly rejects this claim, saying the minor is under psychological pressure and undue influence.

The case has sparked political and legal uproar. Christian MPAs including Phailbus, Ather Julius, and Tariq Gill raised the matter on the floor of the Punjab Assembly, demanding a clear policy on the religious conversion of minors. However, Parliamentary Secretary Chaudhry Amer Habib, responding on behalf of the government, defended the conversion, stating that all legal procedures were followed and declaring Shamraiz’s conversion valid—even though he is a minor.

This statement has been widely condemned by rights groups and legal experts. Nasir Saeed, Director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS-UK), called the government’s position “irresponsible and dangerous.”

“It is shocking to hear a public official legitimise the religious conversion of a child,” Saeed said. “According to Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)—to which Pakistan is a signatory—anyone under the age of 18 is legally a child and must be treated as such. A minor cannot legally marry, vote, or even obtain a national ID card—so how can they be permitted to change their religion?”

Saeed added that Pakistan’s laws lack a defined minimum age for religious conversion, a loophole that is repeatedly exploited to target children from Christian and other minority communities. “What we are witnessing is not religious freedom—it is systematic abuse cloaked in legal technicalities,” he said.

Referencing established precedent from the Lahore High Court, Saeed noted that a child’s religion, in the absence of adulthood, must remain that of their father.

“Shamraiz’s father, who passed away a few months ago, was a Christian. Therefore, according to both constitutional principles and judicial precedent, Shamraiz should remain in the Christian faith until he reaches the age of legal majority and is capable of making an informed choice.”

Shamraiz’s mother, devastated by the incident, made an emotional plea to authorities, including Maryam Nawaz, asking for her son’s return—but only if he returns as a Christian. “If he comes back as a Muslim,” she said, “then he is dead to us.”
According to the family, Shamraiz had previously complained of mistreatment at the workshop. His brother, who filed the FIR, claims that the boy was beaten and threatened before being coerced into making a statement of “free will.”

Nasir Saeed has urged the federal government to introduce clear legislation defining 18 as the legal age for religious conversion, in line with international child protection norms. He has also announced that CLAAS, in coordination with its partners in Pakistan, will pursue the case in the Lahore High Court, and, if necessary, escalate it to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

“This case is not just about one Christian boy,” Saeed emphasized. “It is about the protection of children, the integrity of the legal system, and Pakistan’s commitment to its international obligations under the CRC. It is time for the state to act decisively.”