Nadeem Masih and wife Nadia Nadeem plead for recover of daughter Amber Nadeem. (Screenshot from video)
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A court in Pakistan has ordered a medical examination to determine the age of a Christian girl abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim, sources said.
Amber Nadeem, 13, had told a judicial magistrate that the kidnapping suspect’s family had coached her to falsely claim she was an adult, the sources said.
Joseph Janssen, chairman of the advocacy group Voice for Justice, said Amber was abducted on June 12 from Faisalabad, Punjab Province, by a Muslim identified as Mohsin Liaqat while she was on her way to a local market.
Amber’s parents, daily wage laborer Nadeem Masih and Nadia Nadeem, spent three days trying to persuade police to register a First Information Report (FIR), allowing the suspect sufficient time to produce documents claiming that the girl had converted to Islam and married him, Janssen said.
“The family lives in extreme poverty, and police ignored their repeated pleas to recover their daughter for more than a fortnight,” Janssen told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “After we intervened, the accused was arrested and Amber was placed in protective custody with the Faisalabad Police’s Gender-Based Violence Unit while the legal proceedings continued.”
Janssen, Amber’s parents and their legal team were meeting her at the police station on June 27 when the suspect’s brother arrived with a court bailiff and took her to the sessions court, where he had filed an application seeking her custody, Janssen said. The family and their lawyers immediately followed, he said.
The suspect’s family presented documents claiming Amber had converted to Islam and married Mohsin Liaqat, including a marriage certificate listing her age as 18, according to Janssen.
“Our legal team, led by Advocate Malik Mehmood Hussain Awan, challenged the authenticity of those documents and presented church records confirming that Amber is only 13 years old,” Janssen said. “The attorney also produced the marriage certificate of Amber’s parents, showing they married in 2012, making it impossible for their daughter to have been born in 2008, as claimed in the marriage documents.”
The defense also relied on the recently enacted Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026, emphasizing that the legislation protects children from harmful practices, including child marriage, and requires authorities to prioritize a child’s safety, dignity, education and protection from abuse.
“During the proceedings, the judge remarked that while an underage marriage might not be registrable, it could still potentially be solemnized,” Janssen said. “Our lawyers strongly objected, arguing that the law prohibits child marriage itself, not merely its registration.”
The suspect’s lawyers argued that because Amber had converted to Islam, she could not legally return to her Christian parents, Janssen said.
“They relied on religious arguments, claiming that returning to her family would amount to apostasy,” he said. “Our counsel responded that the issue before the court was not religion but whether a 13-year-old child has the legal capacity to consent to conversion, marriage or a transfer of custody. Pakistan’s child protection laws must prevail.”
Following preliminary arguments, the sessions court referred the matter to a special judicial magistrate to record Amber’s statement.
Janssen said Amber’s mother testified before the magistrate that she married in 2012 and gave birth to Amber, her first child, in 2013.
“When the magistrate first asked Amber about her age, she replied that she was ‘old enough to get married,’” Janssen said. “When asked to state her year of birth, she said 2008. The magistrate pointed out that this was impossible because her parents married in 2012. Amber then disclosed that members of the accused’s family had instructed her to claim she was born in 2008.”
The magistrate subsequently ordered that Amber remain in protective custody and directed authorities to conduct an official medical examination to determine her age. The next hearing will likely take place on Tuesday (June 30).
Janssen said Amber’s parents repeatedly pleaded before the court for the safe return of their daughter, with the emotional strain taking a visible toll on the family.
“The trauma has been overwhelming,” he said. “Amber’s mother became ill after the hearing and had to be hospitalized.”
In a video shared with Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, Nadia Nadeem appealed for help in recovering her daughter.
“Our lives have been shattered since our child was taken from us,” she said. “We repeatedly sought help from the police, but no one listened. We appeal to everyone to help bring our daughter home safely.”
Janssen said the case should be viewed primarily as a child protection issue rather than a religious dispute.
“This case will test whether Pakistan’s child protection and anti-child marriage laws are enforced in practice,” he said. “The central question is whether vulnerable minor girls, particularly from religious minority communities, will receive the protection guaranteed under the law.”
He said that Amber’s case reflects a recurring pattern of allegations involving the abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage of minority girls in Pakistan.
“We are calling for a transparent legal process, full protection for Amber, accountability for anyone found responsible for criminal conduct, and strict enforcement of laws intended to protect children from exploitation and abuse,” Janssen said.
International advocacy groups continue to rank Pakistan among the countries where Christians face significant persecution. In its 2026 World Watch List, Open Doors ranked Pakistan eighth among the 50 countries where Christians face the greatest challenges, citing systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversions, bonded labor and gender-based abuses. The report also noted that perpetrators frequently act with impunity amid weak law enforcement and strong societal pressures.
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- Nadeem Masih and wife Nadia Nadeem plead for recover of daughter Amber Nadeem. (Screenshot from video)
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