Pakistani Man Arrested for Kidnapping 13-Year-Old Girl to Force Islamic Conversion and Marriage

Reported on Charges Including Forced Conversion and Child Marriage

Arju Raja, a woman in her 40s, is on the verge of being forcibly married to her male kidnapper. / Photo by Pakistan Christian Post capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A man in his 40s who kidnapped a 13-year-old girl in Pakistan, forcibly converted her to Islam, and then married her has been arrested by the police. According to the police investigation, the man was already married and had children.

On the 3rd (local time), according to the British 'BBC' broadcast, Pakistani man Azhar Ali (44) was recently arrested by the police on charges of kidnapping Arju Raja (13), forcibly converting her, and marrying her. Arju is scheduled to be detained until the trial on the 5th.

According to the BBC, Arju's parents reported to the police last month on the 13th that their child was missing. The investigation confirmed that Arju was kidnapped from her home by Azhar. It was also revealed that Azhar deceived by claiming Arju was 18 years old to bypass age restrictions and submitted a marriage registration form, and forcibly converted Arju, who was a Christian, to Islam.

Earlier, Arju's family filed a complaint against Azhar on the 27th of last month on charges including child marriage and forced conversion. However, at that time, the court ruled Azhar not guilty, judging that Arju was over 18 years old and had already converted to Islam, making the marriage valid.

The court also transferred custody of Arju to Azhar and even proposed to place Arju under protection from her family.

However, when this court ruling was made public to the citizens through Pakistani human rights organizations, public opinion was greatly outraged. Human rights activists urged the court to reconsider the trial, and some citizens took to the streets to protest.

As the controversy grew, the court reversed its original decision. At the next hearing on the 5th, the court plans to verify whether Arju was forcibly converted and whether her age poses any issues regarding the marriage.

Meanwhile, Arju will be protected in a women's shelter until the hearing takes place.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.