Islamabad/New York: Former Federal Minister for Minority Affairs, Akram Masih Gill, has expressed concern over the Federal Constitutional Court’s decision in the case of a minor Christian girl, Maria, in which her marriage to a Muslim man, Shehryar, was declared valid. He called on the Federal Constitutional Court to review the case.
He made these remarks during a meeting at his residence in New York with Bishop Yousaf Nadeem Binder, former MPA Parvez Rafiq, Pastor Robin Yamin, and Azhar Abdullah.
Akram Gill stated that the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026 was ignored in this case, under which the minimum legal age for marriage is set at 18 years, and child marriage is considered a non-bailable offense. He said that the court’s decision to overlook the legal age limit of 18 and instead rely solely on “puberty” effectively deprives minority children of legal protection.
He further added that a minor girl is neither legally nor mentally mature enough to independently decide on converting religion and marrying while allegedly in the custody of an abductor. He described this as equivalent to the “genocide” of Christian traditions and values.
It is noteworthy that the Federal Constitutional Court, in an important ruling regarding marriages of Christian girls under 18 with Muslim men, stated that Muslim men are religiously permitted to marry women from the “People of the Book.”
Maria Bibi, a resident of Lahore, had converted to Islam and married a man named Shehryar. Her father had filed a kidnapping case, which was later dismissed. He also filed petitions for unlawful detention, which were rejected by the Constitutional Court.
Akram Gill has appealed for the case to be reopened and reviewed to fulfill the requirements of justice.
