Maria said that she accepted Islam out of her own will and has not been forcibly converted

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Saturday allowed a Muslim convert to continue living with his Muslim husband, after the woman?s family members had filed a case against the man and his family.

In a written order, the IHC said that it had directed a meeting be held between Maria and her parents. The meeting, held for 40 minutes, ended without any agreement.

The order said that Maria had prayed to the court to allow her to live with her husband, Bilawal Bhutto, who also gave his word to live with her.

In the last hearing, Maria while talking to Geo News had said that she is 21 and has accepted Islam out of her own will and has not been forcibly converted. She said that she had changed her religion on August 21 in a seminary and then contracted marriage with Bilawal.

The woman?s family members had earlier filed a case against Bilawal and his family, after which 15 of his family members were detained illegally. The IHC had directed in the hearing to release the members from illegal detention.

The court in its decision has directed Islamabad police to ensure the security of both and has asked the deputy interior secretary to send a copy of the court decision to the IG Sindh to take the necessary action.