What changed

B100346/2026

B100351/2026

European Parliament resolution on the abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of minor girls in Pakistan

(2026/2801(RSP))

having regard to Rule 150(5)150 of its Rules of ProcedureProcedure,

whereas in March 2026, Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court rejected a petition filed by the father of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz, stating that his daughter was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam and married; whereas the court validated her conversion and marriage, allowing Maria Shahbaz to remain with her husband;

whereas Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Christian girl from Lahore, disappeared in July 2025 and later appeared before Pakistani courts claiming to have voluntarily converted to Islam and married a 30-year-old man; whereas her family has consistently maintained that her statements were made under duress and coercion; whereas despite documentary evidence confirmed her minority status and earlier court findings indicated that marriage documents had been falsified, Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court granted custody of Maria to the alleged abductor in February 2026;

whereas the Pakistani Government has formed a national consultative committee charged with reviewing the case and proposing measures against forced conversions and marriages;

whereas Pakistan continues to face a persistent and well-documented pattern of abduction, forced conversion, and forced marriage of underage girls belonging to religious minorities, particularly Christians and Hindus;

whereas poverty and marginalisation heighten women’s and girls’ risk of abduction, forced conversion and marriage, often accompanied by abuse, exploitation, stigma and trauma; whereas in 2025, roughly 75% of those affected were Hindu and 25% Christian, with almost 80% of cases in Sindh province;

whereas in February 2026 the Governor of Punjab signed an ordinance raising the legal minimum age of marriage to eighteen years; whereas in May 2026 he assented to the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026, following its adoption in the Punjab Assembly;

whereas the case of Maria Shahbaz is emblematic of broader challenges faced by minorities in Pakistan in accessing protection and justice; whereas human rights defenders play a crucial role in documenting violations and ensuring accountability; whereas reports of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and legal proceedings against them raise serious concerns;

whereas Pakistan benefits from the EU's GSP+ trade preferences, which are conditional on the effective implementation of 27 international conventions that oblige Pakistan to protect children from all forms of exploitation and to ensure freedom of religion or belief;

Expresses its strong concerns over the ruling on the case of Maria Shahbaz and its implications for girls affected by forced conversion and marriage;

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Calls on Pakistan to intensify efforts to eradicate forced conversions and marriages, to review legislative gaps, to effectively enforce applicable laws pertaining to child protection, human trafficking and sexual violence, and to improve judicial training on related standards;

Calls on the Pakistani authorities to ensure the immediate protection of Maria Shahbaz, to grant her access to legal representation and independent psychological support, and to conduct a thorough, transparent, and impartial review of her case, with full respect for due process and the best interests of the child and to allow independent monitoring of her situation by human rights organisations;

Calls on Pakistan to ensure the safe return of abducted girls, and to provide comprehensive, inclusive and gender-responsive support for victims, including safe shelters, legal aid, psychological counselling and reintegration programmes;

Strongly condemns the practice of abduction, forced conversion, and forced marriage of underage girls belonging to religious minorities; calls on the Pakistani government ensure that all cases involving minors or allegations of coercion are investigated transparently and independently and to treat such acts as serious criminal offences and to ensure effective prosecution of perpetrators;

Urges prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all allegations of forced conversions and marriages, and accountability for all actors involved;

Urges the Pakistani judiciary to uphold the rule of law and ensure that any proceedings involving minority girls are conducted free from external pressure, intimidation, or coercion; emphasizes the need for structured capacity building within the judiciary in that regard;

Calls on Pakistan to take, and the EU to support, measures to address the root causes of forced conversion and marriage, such as gender inequality, poverty, social exclusion and discrimination based on caste, gender and religion, including by expanding access to education, birth registration and social protection;

Welcomes the adoption of the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026; calls on the Government of Punjab to promptly formulate and notify the implementing rules and procedures necessary to render the law fully operational; calls on other provinces to adopt, implement and enforce equivalent legislation;

Expresses its strong concerns at the use of blasphemy, anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws to target minorities, opponents and civil society, as exemplified by the recent convictions of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, and Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shahji; urges Pakistan to uphold the rule of law and the right to a fair trial, including by ensuring the right to appeal to independent and impartial courts; calls for an immediate end to arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances, including those of Dad Shah, Ali Wazir, Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen;

Encourages Pakistan to create a national mechanism to handle complaints from families of abducted or forcibly converted minority girls, and stresses the need for better education, legal aid, and protection for these girls;

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Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, and the Government and Parliament of Pakistan.