CLAAS UK

24/07/2026

Christian Agricultural Worker Alleges Attempted R**e in Pakistan; Accused Remanded to Judicial Custody

23/07/2026

Saba Maryam, a 24-year-old Christian agricultural labourer from Khanewal District, Punjab, has alleged that she was the victim of an attempted r**e while cutting grass in a cotton field on 4 July 2026. Police have registered a criminal case and an investigation is underway. According to a complaint....

26/06/2026

Lahore, Pakistan — A Christian brick kiln worker from Faisalabad remains in prison after his family alleged that the owner of the brick kiln where he worked falsely implicated him in a Rs. 32 million financial case following a dispute over bonded labour. Adnan Masih, a member of a poor Christian f...

25/06/2026

https://claas.org.uk/2026/06/25/pakistan-two-christian-sisters-reunited-with-their-family-after-escaping-an-alleged-human-trafficking-and-forced-marriage-network/

Two young Christian sisters from Lahore have been safely reunited with their family after escaping what they allege was an organised human trafficking and forced marriage network operating in Pakistan's Sindh province. Kainat and Maria, both residents of Nishtar Colony, Lahore, returned home after w...

23/05/2026

Renala Khurd, Pakistan — A peaceful Christian worship gathering in Punjab’s Okara district was allegedly disrupted by police officials, triggering protests and outrage within the local Christian community over claims of harassment, misconduct, and religious discrimination. The incident occurred ...

23/05/2026

A minor Christian girl from Lahore has allegedly been abducted and forced into marriage and religious conversion, raising fresh concerns over the safety and protection of vulnerable minority girls in Pakistan. According to our local partner organization, 14-year-old Rida went missing from the Essa A...

21/05/2026

A minor Christian girl from Lahore has allegedly been abducted and forced into marriage and religious conversion, raising fresh concerns over the safety and protection of vulnerable minority girls in Pakistan. According to our local partner organization, 16-year-old Rida went missing from the Essa A...

28/04/2026

Pakistan: Punjab Assembly Passes Historic Bill to Prevent Child Marriages

11/04/2026

Child Protection on Trial: The Maria Shahbaz Judgment

The recent judgment of Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court in the case of 12-year-old Christian girl Maria Shahbaz has triggered protests, concern, and deep unease — not only within Pakistan but across the international human rights community. For many, this is not simply a controversial ruling; it is a test of whether the law can truly protect the most vulnerable, or whether it can be manipulated to legitimise their exploitation.
Maria disappeared from her home on July 29, 2025. Her family reported her abduction, and alleged that she had been kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to an adult man. Like many similar cases involving girls from non-Muslim minorities, events moved quickly. Within two days, Maria appeared before a magistrate, recorded a statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and claimed that she was 18 years old, had converted willingly, and had married of her own free will.
The judgment deserves careful, sustained legal scrutiny — not only within Pakistan, but globally. Because at its core, this case is not just about one child. It is about the principle that no legal system should allow vulnerability to be mistaken for choice.
Child Protection on Trial:
The Maria Shahbaz Judgment :: Gatestone Institute

[T]his is not simply a controversial ruling; it is a test of whether the law can truly protect the most vulnerable, or whether it can be manipulated to legitimise their exploitation. This sequence transforms what begins as an allegation of abduction into

07/04/2026

A 22-year-old Christian labourer, Adil Masih, has been freed from months of illegal detention at a brick kiln in Pakistan and reunited with his family, following legal intervention supported by CLAAS-UK. Adil had been working as a loader at a brick kiln for six months but was never paid his wages. W...