A Christian woman in Pakistan has been kidnapped, forced to marry and convert to Islam, according to a leading human rights lawyer.

Sardar Mushtaq Gill, who runs the Legal Evangelical Association Development, which provides free legal assistance and advocacy to victims of religious discrimination, sexual and domestic violence, said 23-year-old Laveeza Bibi was kidnapped on 14 April.

Two Muslims, armed with guns, forcibly entered the family home in Kasur, Punjab and threatened Bibi's mother and father before kidnapping the young woman.

One of them, Muhammad Talib, then forced her to marry him.

The young woman's father, Sarwar Masih, went to the police but struggled to get them to act. They claimed Laveeza had married the abductor and accepted Islam.

The family's pastor, Saleem Masih, and Gill then intervened and persuaded the police to take the case.

About 1,000 similar cases are registered in Pakistan each year and many more go unreported.