Pakistan Court Delays Hearing in Case of Christian Girl Allegedly Abducted at 13
Maria Shahbaz's parents are asking Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court to reconsider a ruling that left her with the man accused of taking her. The hearing was put off because police said his address was incomplete.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan —
Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday, Oct. 21, put off a hearing on a Christian couple's effort to get their daughter back. The court said the summons could not be delivered to the accused man because his home address was incomplete, Morning Star News reported. The court issued the notice again.
The family says Maria Shahbaz was 13 when Sheharyar Ahmad, a Muslim man, abducted her in July 2025, converted her to Islam and forced her to marry him. Her father, Shahbaz Masih, has asked the court to review its earlier judgment, which let Ahmad keep custody on the basis of the claimed marriage.
The family says Maria was born Oct. 7, 2012, which would make her a minor at the time of the marriage. Acting Chief Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi has questioned when the age documents were produced, according to the report.
Safdar Choudhry of the Raah-e-Nijaat ministry, which is helping the family, said the delay was unexpected. He called the address claim a “mala fide” act by police, since Ahmad has come to court before. Samson Salamat of Rwadari Tehreek said police must stop blocking Maria's recovery.
There have been other developments. On Oct. 1, a Lahore High Court judge ordered the police case against Ahmad reopened, and a local union council secretary told a Lahore court he could not vouch for the marriage document, Morning Star News reported. The European Parliament passed a resolution on Maria's case on July 9.
Watchman News has not independently confirmed all the details. Ahmad's side of the case was not included in the report. Open Doors ranks Pakistan eighth on its 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. No new hearing date was reported.
