LAHORE, Pakistan — A Pakistani high court has ordered the restoration of a police case against a Muslim man accused of abducting, forcibly converting and marrying a Christian girl. The decision opens a legal avenue for her family as it seeks review of a ruling by Pakistan's top constitutional court that placed her in the custody of the alleged husband. Lahore High Court Justice Abher Gul Khan on Oct.
1 admitted a petition filed by the family of Maria Shahbaz seeking restoration of the case's First Information Report (FIR), according to Safdar Choudhry, chairman of Raah-e-Nijaat Ministry, which is supporting the family. Choudhry said a Lahore magistrate had accepted a police cancellation report on March 7 without the presence of Maria's family or their lawyer.
He alleged that the investigating officer had withheld material findings from a subsequent police investigation that had restored the FIR and added charges relating to alleged forgery and fraud involving the marriage and conversion documents. "We were yet to recover from the disappointment of the Feb.
3 ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) validating Maria's marriage and handing her custody to the accused, Shehryar Ahmad, when we learned that the magistrate had issued a FIR cancellation report based on false and ante-dated material," Choudhry told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. The case had already raised questions about the authenticity of Maria's purported marriage.
Choudhry said the secretary of the union council where the marriage was allegedly registered had testified before a sessions court that neither the Nikahnama (Islamic marriage certificate) nor the alleged marriage had been registered with the relevant authority, and that the document was false. "The union council official's denial of registration constituted significant incriminating material requiring further investigation," Choudhry said. "Instead, the police ignored this evidence and proceeded with the cancellation