Christian Teen Abducted and Forcefully Married to 45-Year-Old Muslim Neighbor in Pakistan

01/16/2022 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – According to Morning Star News, a 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan was abducted, forcefully converted to Islam, and forcefully married to her 45-year-old Muslim neighbor. The girl’s parents are now attempting to work with local authorities to have their daughter recovered and returned.

On January 4, Mahnoor Ashraf went missing shortly after she left home with her 8-year-old nephew in Lahore. According to her nephew, Mahnoor was abducted by Muhammad Ali Khan Ghauri, a 45-year-old Muslim neighbor, as they walked to a nearby shop.

Mahnoor’s nephew reported to incident to Mahnoor’s parents who rushed to Ghauri’s house to recover their daughter. When Mahnoor and Ghauri could not be found, they reported the abduction to local police.

On January 5, Mahnoor’s parents registered a First Information Report (FIR no. 58/22) against Ghauri. However, the investigating officer was slow to act on the case, Morning Star News reports.

“Finally, on January 7, Ghauri’s family informed us that Mahnoor had allegedly converted to Islam and married Ghauri on January 4, the day she was taken,” Akram Masih Chaudhry, Mahnoor’s older brother, told Morning Star News. “Ghauri’s house is on the same street, and our families had good terms with each other. We don’t know when he managed to lure Mahnoor into a relationship.”

Mahnoor’s father filed charges against Ghauri for forcibly converting and illegally marrying Mahnoor, who is a minor. However, the Islamic marriage certificate used to document Mahnoor’s marriage to Ghauri states that she is 19, even though her birth certificate proves she was born in 2007.