For more than a year, Rakhal struggled with a decision that would ultimately change the direction of her life.
The 23-year-old Christian woman from Lahore says that after marrying a Muslim man and converting to Islam, she experienced increasing emotional and psychological distress. Eventually, she decided she no longer wished to continue either the marriage or her new religious life and chose to return to her family.
Today, she is pursuing the dissolution of her marriage through Pakistan’s Family Court, hoping to rebuild her life on her own terms.
Rakhal is the eldest daughter of Khuram Masih and grew up in Madiana Colony on Walton Road, Lahore, where her Christian family lives among a predominantly Muslim community. Her mother, Farzana, passed away in 2018, leaving Rakhal, her father and two younger brothers to support one another through difficult circumstances.
She completed her education up to middle school before leaving formal education during Grade 9.
According to Rakhal, the events leading to her marriage began in late 2024 when a group of young men regularly gathered outside her family home. She says they repeatedly threw slips of paper containing mobile phone numbers into the family’s house and watched her whenever she left home.
Out of curiosity, Rakhal contacted one of the young men to ask why they had been leaving the phone numbers.
According to her account, her own mobile number was later shared among several members of the group without her consent. One of the young men informed her that her number had been circulated, after which Muhammad Nouman began contacting her regularly.
Over the following four months, the two remained in contact, and on 7 March 2025 Rakhal left her parental home and entered into a court marriage with Muhammad Nouman.
Following the marriage, she moved into her husband’s family home, located only a few houses away from her father’s residence.
According to Rakhal, approximately one month after the marriage she began receiving Islamic religious instruction arranged by her husband’s family. She says a religious cleric regularly visited the home to teach her about Islam and help her learn passages from the Holy Quran. After several months of home-based instruction, she was enrolled in online religious classes.
Rakhal says she was repeatedly told that returning to Christianity or leaving Islam would result in divine punishment.
According to her, these teachings placed her under considerable emotional and psychological pressure and contributed to growing feelings of distress during the marriage.
Despite living only a short distance from her family home, Rakhal says her father never attempted to interfere with her married life or pressure her to return home.
Instead, she says the decision to leave the marriage came entirely from her own reflection.
In early July 2026, Rakhal contacted her younger brother Haroon and told him that she no longer wished to remain in the marriage. She explained that she was emotionally unhappy and wanted to return to her family.
On 3 July 2026, her father visited Muhammad Nouman’s home after being invited by Rakhal.
According to the family, several members of Nouman’s family and a number of local religious clerics were present during the meeting.
Rakhal says she clearly stated that she wished to leave the marriage and return to her father’s home.
According to her account, some of those present insisted that she remain at the house for one more night. However, Khuram Masih responded that his daughter was an adult with the legal capacity to make her own decisions and that no one had the right to compel her to remain in a marriage against her wishes.
Rakhal then returned voluntarily to her parental home.
The following day, on 4 July 2026, Rakhal and her father sought legal assistance from The EDGE Foundation, where they met Advocate Sohail Shahid Gill to discuss the legal options available under Pakistan’s family laws.
After receiving legal advice, Rakhal instructed her lawyer to begin proceedings for the dissolution of her marriage through Khula, stating that she no longer wished to continue the marital relationship.
According to her legal representatives, the petition was prepared for filing before the competent Family Court on 6 July 2026.
Rakhal has also made it clear that she does not wish to pursue any criminal proceedings against Muhammad Nouman or members of his family. Instead, she simply wants the marriage to end through the legal process so that she can move forward with her life.
Her case highlights the importance of ensuring that adult women are free to make decisions about their personal relationships and religious beliefs without coercion or intimidation. Human rights advocates have consistently emphasised that individuals should be able to exercise their legal rights concerning marriage, family life and freedom of conscience in accordance with the law.
Today, Rakhal is back with her family and beginning a new chapter. While she acknowledges the emotional difficulties she experienced during the marriage, she hopes the legal process will allow her to move forward peacefully and rebuild her life with the support of those closest to her.