The marriage of Maria Bibi of Lahore has been upheld, following an apparent conversion to Islam.
The Bishop of Faisalabad slams loopholes in the law, calling for urgent reforms to set the marriage age at 18 and boost the protection of minors.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), presided over by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, has recognised the validity of the marriage between Maria Bibi, a 13-year-old Christian girl, and a Muslim man named Shehryar Ahmad.
The same court rejected a habeas corpus petition for the protection of personal freedom filed by the girl's father, who was seeking her release.
Instead, a two-judge bench ruled that the girl, who had embraced Islam, was of age and therefore under the lawful custody of her husband.
“I respectfully wish to express my concern regarding the recent court ruling allowing Muslim men to marry Christian women,” he said.
“A sincere question arises: If Muslim men can marry Christian women, why are Christian men not equally permitted to marry Muslim women? »