Lahore, Pakistan. (By Sardar Mushtaq Gill) The alleged abduction of a 14-year-old Christian girl, Elishba Adnan, in the second week of June 2025 has once again cast a spotlight on the growing crisis of forced conversions and marriages of Christian girls in Pakistan. 

According to reports, Elishba was allegedly abducted by 26-year-old Muslim man Babar Mukhtar. Her father, Adnan Masih—a sanitary worker by profession—filed a complaint with local police after discovering his daughter was missing. However, there are reports suggesting police were reluctant to register a First Information Report (FIR), citing a widely held but controversial belief that many such cases involve Christian girls eloping with Muslim men due to romantic relationships, which eventually lead to conversion and marriage. 

LEAD Ministries Pakistan has been actively working to combat the systemic abuse of Christian girls and women in Pakistan through forced marriages and conversions. Pastor Imran Amanat emphasized that these narratives of “love affairs” are often used to dismiss the coercion involved in such incidents. “Christian girls, coming from poor and marginalized communities, are seen as easy targets,” he said. “They are often lured with promises of a better life, but the reality they face after conversion is one of abuse, neglect, and often abandonment.” 

Sardar Mushtaq Gill, the founder of LEAD Ministries and a prominent human rights advocate, has handled numerous such cases. “I have seen countless Christian girls forced into marriage, isolated from their families, and pressured to convert to Islam,” Gill stated. “Many of them are eventually abandoned or mistreated, and the so-called marriage turns into a life of suffering. These are not love stories—they are tragedies.” 

The issue of forced conversions in Pakistan, particularly of underage minority girls, has gained international attention in recent years. Despite constitutional protections and growing calls from civil society, legislative action has been slow. Rights groups have long demanded clearer laws and enforcement mechanisms to protect minority women and girls from religiously motivated violence and coercion. 

LEAD Ministries continues to provide legal aid and shelter to victims of such cases, advocating for justice and legislative reforms. The organization has also called on the Pakistani government and international human rights bodies to intervene and ensure the protection of religious minorities in the country. 

As the case of Elishba Adnan unfolds, LEAD Ministries has vowed to pursue justice for her and other victims of forced conversion. “We will not be silent,” Pastor Amanat declared. “Every girl’s life and faith matter. No one should be forced to change their religion or enter a marriage against their will.”