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Scotch girl: My choice to join dad in Pakistan
LAHORE, Pakistan -- A 12-year-old girl at the center of an international custody battle said Sunday that she left her mother's home in Scotland of her own free will and prefers life with her father in Pakistan."I love Scotland, but I love Islam more," Molly Campbell, also called Misbah Iram Ahmed Rana, said at her first news conference with Pakistani media. "I am determined to be a Scottish Muslim of whom Scotland may be proud one day."Her father, Sajad Ahmed Rana, sitting beside her and her older sister at the news conference, accused his Scottish ex-wife of persuading his daughter to eat food forbidden by Islam and to drink alcohol, also prohibited for Muslims. The mother, Louise Campbell, last year won legal custody of her daughter and says the girl was abducted from her Scotland home Aug. 25. Louise Campbell could not be reached for comment Sunday. The girl has signed a legal statement saying she left of her own free will and wants to live with her father in Pakistan, according to lawyer Mohammed Basit. "Call me Molly, if you like," she told reporters. "But not Molly Campbell." Lahore Judge Amir Javed Rana awarded custody to the father until Sept. 6 to give the mother time to come for a hearing to decide guardianship. The girl said Sunday that she asked her older sister to help her return to Pakistan and her father, who visited Scotland on Aug. 24. Scottish police investigators say the case could be a violation of the Child Abduction Act. Prosecutors will determine whether to take action. Bashir Mann, president of the National Association of British Pakistanis, said media reports alleging the girl would participate in an arranged marriage with an older Pakistani man were "totally rubbish." The 12-year-old said her father has told her she can marry anyone of her choice. Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-09-04 |
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