Forced Marriage

Man Commits Suicide After 11-year-old Daughter Declared Vani

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A poor man ended his life by swallowing poisonous pills after his 11-year-old daughter was given as Vani by a village council (panchayat) in Bhagwani Shumali area in the limits of Paharpur Police Station. Before this tragic incident, the panchayat had also taken Rs0.7 million from the poor barber named Adil. The influential local landlords took extreme…

Panchayat Writ

Despite improvements in education and awareness of rights, the tribal court system continues to mete out injustice across the country. The latest example of ‘elders’ proving that age does not always bring wisdom occurred in the rural Bhagwani Shumali area of Dera Ismail Khan in K-P. A local man committed…

Criminalising Child Marriage

CHILD marriage persists in Pakistan for many reasons, and ending the practice…

Drivers of Forced Conversion through Marriage in Pakistan

The report examines Forced Conversion through Marriage (FCM) in Pakistan, revealing how…

Christian Groups Demand Protection against ‘Forced Marriages, Conversions’

KARACHI: Christian organisations and rights groups held demonstrations outside the Karachi Press Club on March 29, expressing concern over the safety of minor girls and their forced marriages and conversions. Groups, including the National Christian Party, Gawahi Mission Trust, and other civil society representatives, organised separate protests. The participants, including…

Federal Constitutional Court Upholds Validity of Christian Woman’s Marriage to Muslim

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Mar 25 upheld the validity of a marriage between a Christian woman and a Muslim man, while rejecting a habeas corpus petition filed by her father seeking her recovery. Headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, a two-judge bench held that the woman,…

Man Held Over Forced Child Marriage

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police have taken into custody a proclaimed offender accused of abducting a 13-year-old girl and forcibly marrying her two years ago, following his detention by Bahawalnagar Police. An official said on Sunday that the accused, identified as Ahsan Ali, was wanted in case No 670/24…

658 Runaway Children Intercepted at Pakistan Railway Stations in 2025

LAHORE: At least 658 children ran away from their homes and were intercepted at railway stations across Pakistan in 2025, many citing hunger, lack of basic necessities and corporal punishment at home and in schools, according to data released by the Pakistan Railways Police. Official data shared with The Express Tribune shows…

Leadership Moot Calls for Raising Girls’ Minimum Age for Marriage to 18

Islamabad:At the inaugural plenary of the 18th Rural Women Leadership Training Conference held at Lok Virsa here on Wednesday, PODA leader Bismillah Iram said despite losing everything in the recent floods, the hopes and dreams of rural women in Pakistan remained unshaken. “With resilience, we stood firm to rebuild our…

Futures Snatched By Force Of Faith

The concerns regarding forced conversion are not a new phenomenon in our part of the world. Almost a century ago the All India Muslim League chalked out the rules for conversion in this region. The All India Muslim League adopted a resolution in December, 1927 at Calcutta which addressed the…

Conviction Rate Low in Child-Marriage Cases

HYDERABAD: Civil society representatives urged the Sindh government to strictly enforce the Child Marriage Restraint Act, warning that underage marriages remain rampant due to poor implementation. At a dialogue in Mirpurkhas, organised by the Hari Welfare Association, activists and officials expressed alarm over the persistence of the practice. The event…

Research Identifies Drivers of Forced Conversions

ISLAMABAD: National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), in collaboration with Legal Aid Society (LAS), has launched a comprehensive documentary and research report to understand the drivers of forced conversion through marriages (FCM) and its multidimensional impact on survivors, religious minority communities (RMCs), and Pakistani society. The research report and the…

Afghan Teen Resists Forced Marriage

RAWALPINDI: Authorities have decided to deport a 16-year-old Afghan girl, Naushaba, and her mother back to Afghanistan after an attempted forced marriage in Rawalpindi failed. Police said the girl was brought from Afghanistan by an Afghan national, Male Khan, through Quetta’s Kuchlak route. He intended to marry her to his…

HRCP Shows Alarming Rise In Violence Against Minorities

LAHORE: The participants in a seminar at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on 19th September highlighted an alarming rise in violence against religious minorities during the last year. Launched at the seminar, the HRCP’s report, Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2024/25, documents a deeply troubling year…