In a devastating judgment, the Lahore High Court has sparked outrage among Christian organisations and rights groups after custody of a 14-year-old Christian boy, allegedly coerced into converting to Islam, was denied to his widowed mother.

The case involves Shamraiz Masih, a minor from Sargodha, who had been working at a local motorbike repair shop when, according to his family, he was lured by his employer with false promises of financial security and a “better life.” Soon afterwards, he was declared to have embraced Islam, with a conversion certificate reportedly issued by a local cleric.

Shamraiz’s mother, Rehana Imran, who has been raising her children alone since the death of her husband, insists her son was abducted and manipulated. “He is my only son, my comfort after my husband’s death. They have stolen him from me in the name of religion,” she told our team. Relatives say she has been left emotionally shattered and now fears she may never see her son again.

On 20 August 2025, the Lahore High Court dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by Shamraiz’s elder brother, Sahil, denied custody to his mother, and ruled that Shamraiz could decide for himself with whom he wished to live.

Nasir Saeed, Director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS-UK), condemned the ruling as a “grave miscarriage of justice.” He said the judgment not only deprives a mother of her son but also sets a “dangerous precedent” that could embolden employers and clerics to exploit vulnerable minority children.

“At 14 years old, Shamraiz is legally a minor under Pakistani law and lacks the capacity to make binding decisions regarding religion or guardianship. Yet the court validated his coerced statement while ignoring his mother’s rights,” CLAAS said in a statement.

Saeed added that the judgment conflicts with both Pakistani law and international human rights obligations. Under the Majority Act of 1875 and the Child Marriage Restraint Act, anyone under 18 is legally a child. Pakistan is also a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which obliges courts to act in the best interests of the child (Article 3), weigh children’s views according to their age and maturity (Article 12), and ensure freedom of religion under the guidance of parents or legal guardians (Article 14).

“The court has ignored Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees as well,” said Saeed, pointing to Articles 20 and 35 of the Constitution, which protect freedom of religion and the family unit. “This case undermines both.”

CLAAS-UK has called on the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) and the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) to intervene, monitor the case, and push for Shamraiz’s reunification with his mother. It has also urged the Punjab Child Protection Bureau to take protective custody of the boy, citing fears of continued coercion.

Saeed warned that the judgment could pave the way for more such cases. “Because of poverty and lack of education, many Christian and Hindu children in Pakistan work in garages, workshops, barber shops, carpet looms, or brick kilns instead of going to school,” he said. “These children are especially vulnerable to grooming by employers who may lure them into conversion and then present them before magistrates as having acted out of ‘free will.’”

“This ruling effectively legitimises the practice of separating children from their families under the guise of religion,” Saeed added. “An employer can now manipulate a child into declaring conversion and walk away with judicial approval.”

The case comes amid growing concern over the forced conversion of religious minorities in Pakistan. Dozens of incidents are reported each year, often involving children under the age of 18. Civil society groups have repeatedly urged the government to introduce a minimum age of 18 for religious conversions and to strengthen child protection laws, but successive governments have failed to legislate on the issue due to opposition from religious lobbies.

“It is heartbreaking that a mother has lost her son in this way,” Saeed said. “The court that was supposed to deliver justice has instead taken him away. What more must a Christian mother lose before she is given justice in this country?”