What changed

B100351/2026

B100348/2026

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

(2026/2801(RSP))

– having regard to Rule 150 of its Rulesprevious ofresolutions Procedure,on Pakistan

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;

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

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 Maria Shahbaz, was at the age of thirteen abducted, forced to convert to Islam and marry; whereas on 25 March 2026 Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court upheld her conversion and marriage, and ordered her to remain with the man who abducted her;

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 reflects a broader pattern affecting girls in Pakistan, especially from Christian, Hindu and other religious minorities, who are largely exposed to abduction, forced conversion and child marriage;

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;

whereas Pakistan recently adopted a National Framework to End Child Marriage aimed at strengthening the protection of minors; whereas legislation against child marriage raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 years was adopted in several provinces;

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whereas Pakistan continues to face serious human rights concerns, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, restrictions on freedom of expression, harassment of journalists, misuse of anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws, and pressure on civil society.

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;

Condemns the abduction, forced conversion and child marriage in the case of Maria Shahbaz and calls for an urgent, independent and child sensitive judicial review of the case;

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;

Calls on the Pakistan authorities to ensure Maria Shahbaz safety, access to her family, independent legal representation and protection from coercion or intimidation pending judicial review;

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;

Urges Pakistan authorities to investigate and prosecute cases of abduction, forced conversion, child marriage, trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors, including cases involving Christian, Hindu and other minorities;

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;

Calls on the Pakistani authorities to ensure that courts do not validate marriages or conversions involving minors or persons deprived of free and informed consent;

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;

Welcomes recent legislative steps against child marriage in some provinces and urges Pakistan to fully implement the National Framework to End Child Marriage;

Calls on the EU and Member States to raise the issue of forced conversions, forced marriages, and the protection of religious minorities systematically in all bilateral dialogues with Pakistan, including within the framework of GSP+ monitoring;

Calls for targeted protection measures for minority girls facing discrimination based on gender, religion, caste and poverty, with particular attention to access to education and social protection;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Government and Parliament of Pakistan.

Condemns enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, harassment of journalists, human rights defenders and activists, and the misuse of anti-terrorism, blasphemy and cybercrime provisions to silence dissent;

Calls on the EU, the EEAS and Member States to raise the case of Maria Shahbaz and the broader pattern of forced conversion and child marriage, as well as question of enforced disappearances in the EU -Pakistan human rights dialogue, Strategic Dialogue and GSP+ monitoring;

Stresses that closer EU - Pakistan relations should be accompanied by progress on human rights, rule of law, women’s and children’s rights and protection of minorities;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the HR/VP, the Member States, the Government and Parliament of Pakistan, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.