Islamabad [Pakistan], April 4 (ANI): Dr Paul Jacob Bhatti has urged the government to set up an independent parliamentary commission to investigate forced religious conversions and child marriages involving minority girls, Geo News reported.
Bhatti, head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, called the issue deeply alarming, saying repeated cases of coerced conversion and underage marriage are eroding basic rights, including freedom of belief, child protection and human dignity.
His plea follows nationwide protests over a Federal Constitutional Court verdict that declared a 13-year-old girl to be of “sufficient maturity,” placed her in the custody of her alleged 30-year-old husband and recognised her conversion to Islam as lawful under Sharia. The two-member bench included Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha. Legal experts, civil society groups and child rights activists have sharply criticised the ruling.
The girl’s parents had submitted official documents confirming she was a minor, but the court dismissed that evidence. The family has sought legal redress since her reported abduction in July 2025. A sessions court probe reportedly found the marriage certificate forged and local authorities said no official registration exists, yet the higher court upheld the marriage — a decision critics say could embolden perpetrators and increase risks for minority communities, Geo News noted.
Bhatti stressed that minors cannot legally or ethically give informed consent to religion or marriage and called for independent, transparent scrutiny of such cases. He urged authorities to revisit the ruling in line with Pakistan’s constitutional obligations and international child-rights conventions, proposing an autonomous review body of human rights experts, legal professionals, religious representatives and child protection specialists to ensure impartial investigations and safeguard victims, Geo News reported. (ANI)
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