Pakistan Investigates Forced Marriage Case After Christian Teen’s Kidnapping Sparks International Outcry

Faith Facts

• Pakistan’s government has formed an official committee to investigate the forced conversion and marriage of Sarish Barkat Masih, a 13-year-old Christian girl from Faisalabad.
• The case has drawn international attention to the ongoing persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan, where an estimated 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls are kidnapped annually for forced marriages.
• Christian advocacy groups continue to pressure Pakistani authorities for justice and systemic reforms to protect vulnerable religious minorities.

The Pakistani government has taken a rare step in response to mounting international pressure by establishing an official committee to review the forced marriage of a Christian teenager. The case highlights the severe persecution faced by religious minorities in the Islamic Republic and has reignited calls for stronger protections for vulnerable populations.

Sarish Barkat Masih, just 13 years old, was abducted from her home in Faisalabad earlier this year. Her family reports she was forcibly converted to Islam and married to an adult Muslim man against her will. Such cases have become tragically common in Pakistan, where religious minorities—particularly Christians and Hindus—face systematic discrimination and violence.

The formation of the investigative committee comes after sustained advocacy by Christian organizations and human rights groups worldwide. While the exact number of minority girls abducted annually remains unclear due to underreporting and official indifference, estimates suggest that approximately 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls suffer this fate each year in Pakistan.

Many of these cases follow a disturbing pattern: young girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to their abductors. Pakistani courts often side with the kidnappers, citing the girl’s “conversion” as voluntary and dismissing family testimony. The victims’ ages are frequently misrepresented in legal documents to circumvent child marriage laws.

“These are not isolated incidents,” said one Christian advocacy leader familiar with the situation. “This is a systematic targeting of our community’s most vulnerable members—our daughters. The establishment of this committee is a small step, but we need comprehensive legal reform and actual enforcement.”

The committee’s formation represents a potential breakthrough in a country where religious minorities constitute less than four percent of the population yet bear a disproportionate burden of persecution. Christians in Pakistan face discrimination in employment, education, and legal proceedings, with blasphemy laws often weaponized against them.

Faith-based organizations in the United States have long advocated for Pakistan to be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has repeatedly documented Pakistan’s systematic persecution of religious minorities in its annual reports.

The outcome of this committee’s investigation will serve as a critical test of Pakistan’s commitment to protecting its religious minorities. Christian leaders are cautiously hopeful but remain skeptical given the country’s poor track record on such cases.

Sarish’s family continues to seek her safe return and the prosecution of those responsible for her abduction. Their struggle represents the plight of countless families across Pakistan who have lost daughters to this form of religious persecution.

American Christians are urged to keep Pakistan’s persecuted believers in their prayers and to support organizations working to provide legal assistance and advocacy for victims of religious violence.

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