Pakistan Bill to End Forced Conversions Advances Amid Ongoing Abductions of Christian Girls

Pakistan's legislature is moving forward with a bill aimed at stopping forced conversions and marriages of religious minorities, a practice that has affected hundreds of Christian and Hindu girls and women in recent years.

The bill would set a minimum age for religious conversion and require a waiting period before any conversion is recognized as valid. It would also create legal penalties for those who coerce or deceive individuals into changing their religion.

Christian advocacy groups have welcomed the legislation but say it will mean little without strong enforcement. Police in Pakistan have historically been reluctant to act in cases involving religious minorities, particularly when powerful local figures are involved.

"We have seen many promises before," said a representative of a Pakistani Christian rights group. "The question is whether the courts and police will actually protect our people."

Reports of abductions continue. In recent months, several Christian families have come forward to say their daughters were taken, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to older men. In some cases, courts have returned the girls to their families. In others, judges have accepted the conversions as valid.

The issue has drawn attention from international human rights organizations and foreign governments. The United States has repeatedly raised forced conversions in its annual religious freedom reports on Pakistan.

Pakistan's government has faced pressure from religious hardliners who oppose any legislation they see as restricting Islamic practice. Previous attempts to pass similar bills have stalled or been watered down.

Christian leaders in Pakistan say the community lives in a state of constant anxiety. They are asking for international pressure to be maintained on Islamabad to follow through on the legislation and ensure it is enforced.