A Pakistani court has ordered the immediate recovery of a teenage Catholic girl who was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to a 44-year-old Muslim man in the southern city of Karachi in a case which has shocked and angered the country’s beleaguered religious minorities.
Sindh High Court on November 2 also ordered that the 13-year-old child bride be produced before it on November 5 and moved to a government-run shelter home.
The judge also directed police to determine Arzoo Raja’s age, legality of her marriage status and investigate claims that she had converted to Islam according to her free own will.
The development comes following days of nationwide protests by the Christian community.
Arzoo’s parents say that she was kidnapped on October 13 while playing outside her home.
Days later, the family were told by police that Arzoo had converted to Islam after marrying her abductor.