Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Christian Fights For Abducted Daughter In Pakistan
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – A Christian father in Pakistan’s city of Lahore continues to seek justice for his 13-year-old daughter, who was abducted in July by a Muslim man from the same neighborhood.
Despite filing a police report, her father, Shahbaz Masih, said he was stunned to learn that on August 1, a court accepted a statement from his daughter claiming she had voluntarily converted to Islam, declared she was 18, and married her abductor—claims Masih insists are false and coerced.
Worthy News is withholding the girl’s full name as she may be a victim of sexual abuse, and it was unclear whether she consented to publication.
Masih of Lahore in Punjab Province said Shehryar Ahmad, a 30-year-old Muslim, abducted his daughter on July 29 when she stepped outside her home to go to a shop.
“When Maria did not return home, we began searching for her but failed to find her,” Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News service.
“We later learned that Maria had been taken by Ahmad, who lived in the same locality,” he reportedly said.
BROADER PATTERN
Rights groups say her case reflects a broader pattern of abductions, forced conversions, and underage marriages of Christian girls.
Courts often dismiss birth records and hand minors over to alleged abductors, according to legal observers.
The advocacy group Raah-e-Nijaat challenged her marriage and conversion at the Lahore High Court, but the petition was dismissed and redirected to a Sessions Court, which admitted the case on Wednesday.
A legal team plans to present evidence of her minority and argue that the marriage violates the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act.
Lawyers also seek criminal proceedings against Ahmad and others involved, while urging the enforcement of child-marriage laws.
The legal battle comes despite President Asif Ali Zardari signing a law raising the minimum marriage age to 18 nationwide in May. Yet in Punjab, the age remains 16, and under Islamic law, child marriage may still be permitted. Critics say this loophole enables the exploitation of vulnerable Christian girls.
Pakistan ranks eighth on the 2025 Open Doors World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians reportedly face the most persecution.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Since 2020, fraudsters have scammed at least $36 billion and as much as $3 trillion in tax money from federal entitlement programs, dwarfing the amount federal prosecutors claim was stolen in Minnesota’s federal food aid scandal known as Feeding Our Future, an investigation by The Center Square found.
Ten days before the government funding deadline, congressional appropriators released the last four fiscal year 2026 spending bills for the U.S. House to vote on.
The United States and Israel signed a landmark joint statement on Friday launching a strategic partnership in artificial intelligence, research, and critical technologies under the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, underscoring a shared vision that economic cooperation can outweigh ideological divides.
President Donald Trump is continuing to press senior advisers for what he calls “decisive” military options against Iran, even after pulling back from strikes last week, as Tehran intensifies a violent crackdown on protesters that has killed thousands, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Israeli authorities on Tuesday began demolishing the former headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, marking a decisive enforcement of legislation passed by the Knesset banning UNRWA activity inside Israeli territory.
Guards from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew Tuesday from the sprawling al-Hol detention camp in northeast Syria, triggering accusations from Damascus that the move allowed Islamic State-linked detainees to escape, as fighting between the two sides pushed the country closer to renewed instability.
Greenland’s prime minister has warned residents and authorities to prepare for possible disruptions and security risks as U.S. President Donald J. Trump continues to threaten to takeover the Arctic island, despite mounting concern within the United States Congress.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com