A six-year-old born in prison in Pakistan to a British mother jailed for smuggling £3.2 million of heroin has returned to the UK.
Malaika had spent her whole life behind bars in Adiala Prison, Rawalpindi, with her mother Khadija Shah, from Birmingham.
Shah was jailed for life in 2014 for smuggling 63kg (138lb) of heroin into Pakistan.
But Malaika is thought to have returned to the UK on January 31, following efforts from the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Social services were informed of Malaika’s arrival.
Prison officials previously said that Shah and her daughter were being treated well.
It is not yet known what is to happen to Shah.
Previously, Shah’s mother said she believed traffickers took advantage of Shah – a “vulnerable woman” who was heavily pregnant.
The heroin, worth about £3.2 million in the UK, was found inside a number of suitcases in Shah’s possession.
The then 27-year-old claimed she had been carrying the cases for someone else, and was unaware of the contents.
Shah’s mother has been looking after her two other children following her imprisonment.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Our staff continue to assist a British woman jailed in Pakistan.
“We supported her family in bringing her daughter to the UK, working with them and the Pakistani authorities.”
By Mark Cardwell
Since you are here
Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.
Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.
Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.
If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.
To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.
The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.
The shop can be found here.
You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .
