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In a controversial court decision that has drawn attention from human rights groups, a magistrate in Lahore has granted custody of a 16-year-old Christian girl to the 32-year-old Muslim man accused of abducting and forcibly marrying her.

On May 16, 2025, a Pakistani judge allowed Catholic minor Jessica Iqbal to return to Azeem Ullah, the man her family accuses of kidnapping, amidst allegations of coercion and forced religious conversion, the Christian Post reported.

Jessica Iqbal, a Christian teenager from Chungi Amarsidhu, Lahore, was reported missing by her father, Iqbal Masih, on April 30, 2025. According to him, she was abducted by a Muslim neighbor, Azeem Ullah, who is more than twice her age.

Masih filed a police complaint the same day, accusing Ullah of kidnapping his daughter. Ullah was briefly taken into custody but was released within hours. Jessica’s father said that Ullah returned to his residence shortly afterward, denied involvement, and subsequently fled again, allegedly after hiding the girl.

On May 16, Jessica appeared before Judicial Magistrate Hassan Sarfraz Cheema. She stated that she had converted to Islam and had married Ullah of her own free will. The judge accepted her testimony and placed her in Ullah’s custody, despite objections from her parents and signs that she may have been under pressure.

Father Claims Daughter Was Intimidated

Iqbal Masih expressed deep concern after the hearing, stating that his daughter showed signs of fear and was unable to demonstrate even basic knowledge of Islam when questioned. He said the court failed to consider these indicators of coercion.

“My daughter couldn’t answer even the simplest question about Islam,” Masih said, noting Jessica was unable to recite the Kalima, the Islamic declaration of faith. He added, “It was quite evident that she had been forced to say she converted voluntarily.”

Masih also revealed that his daughter privately told them she felt powerless and feared for her family’s safety if she withdrew her statement. According to him, she repeated that she was acting out of fear and pressure.

Legal Advocacy Group Raises Alarm

HARDS Pakistan, a legal aid group supporting the family, criticized the court’s decision. Sohail Habil, a representative of the organization, said that almost all cases of this kind involve victim intimidation and fabricated court testimonies.

“In Jessica’s case, the magistrate could see that her conversion claim lacked credibility,” Habil said. “But no steps were taken to investigate further.” HARDS has filed a legal challenge against the decision in a sessions court.

Jessica is among the numerous Christian girls in Pakistan who are reported each year as abducted, converted, and then married to their captors. These girls are often minors, with some reportedly younger than 10 years old, and are required to testify in favor of their abductors in court.

Inconsistencies in Legal Marriage Standards

Legal experts and human rights activists cite inconsistencies in Pakistan’s marriage and conversion laws as a major contributing factor to the vulnerability of minority girls. In Punjab, where Jessica lives, the legal marriage age for girls remains 16, pending the passage of a bill introduced last April to raise the age to 18.

Though the federal government recently enacted legislation raising the minimum marriage age to 18 in Islamabad on May 19, 2025, the law does not yet apply across all provinces. Until the provincial law changes, young girls like Jessica can still legally be married at 16.

For Christians, the age was formally raised to 18 under the Christian Marriage (Amendment) Act 2024. However, if a Christian girl converts—or is said to have converted—to Islam, Sharia law takes precedence, which allows marriage at a younger age based on puberty.

Pervasive Religious and Gender Discrimination

Pakistan’s Christian community, making up a small fraction of the country's 96% Muslim population, faces growing concern over religiously motivated abuse. International advocates have long warned of systemic persecution and discrimination against religious minorities.

According to the 2025 World Watch List by Open Doors, Pakistan ranks eighth among countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. High-profile cases like Jessica’s continue to highlight the challenges faced by religious minority families in seeking justice.

Iqbal Masih said the heartbreaking situation has devastated their family. “Our lives have been turned upside down,” he said. “I can’t even go to work because I cannot stop thinking about Jessica.”