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

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

The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ECR, Renew and Greens/EFA groups.

As a reminder, Maria Shahbaz, a Christian girl from Lahore, was 13 when she was abducted and forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. Her family maintains that her statements were made under duress and coercion.

Despite documentary evidence confirming her minority status and falsified marriage documents, in March 2026 Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court upheld her conversion and marriage and ordered her to remain with her abductor.

The case of Maria Shahbaz is emblematic of broader human rights violations faced by minorities in Pakistan, including arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, harassment of journalists and civil society, and misuse of blasphemy, anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws.

Parliament strongly condemned the abduction, forced conversion to Islam, child marriage and ruling in the case of Maria Shahbaz, and similar abuses of underage girls from religious minorities in Pakistan.

It called on the Pakistani authorities to:

- ensure that all cases involving minors or allegations of coercion are investigated transparently and independently and to ensure the effective prosecution of perpetrators and safe return of abducted girls;

- ensure the immediate protection of Maria Shahbaz, to grant her access to legal representation, independent psychological support and to her family, and to conduct a thorough, transparent and impartial review of her case, fully respecting due process and the best interests of the child and allowing human rights organisations to independently monitor her situation;

- repeal its blasphemy laws and end the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities;

- uphold the rule of law and ensure that any proceedings involving girls from minorities are conducted without external pressure, intimidation or coercion;

- create a national mechanism for handling complaints from families of abducted or forcibly converted girls from minorities, and for comprehensive support for victims, including safe shelters, legal aid, psychological counselling and reintegration programmes.

For its part, the EU and its Member States are called on to systematically raise the issue of forced conversions and marriages and the protection of religious and other minorities, political opponents, journalists, civil society and human rights defenders and activists in bilateral dialogues with Pakistan, including within the framework of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus monitoring. It recalled that failure to effectively implement its human rights commitments, including on women’s and children’s rights, should result in the withdrawal of Pakistan’s GSP+ status.