Runaway Molly to stay in Pakistan after parents finally agree deal over custody
THE runaway schoolgirl Molly Campbell is to be allowed to stay with her father in Pakistan, but her mother in Scotland will have visiting rights, a court ruled yesterday.
The 12-year-old, also known as Mishbah Rana, has been at the centre of an international custody battle since fleeing her home in Stornoway last August for Lahore. She has since said she wants to stay in Pakistan with her father, Sajad Rana, and has no wish to return to Scotland.
The High Court in Pakistan had previously ruled that Molly should be handed over to the British authorities to live with her mother, Louise Campbell, in line with an interim custody ruling at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in 2005 .
But after both parents agreed that their daughter could stay in Pakistan, this was overturned yesterday by the Supreme Court.
Earlier this month, Ms Campbell dropped her claim for full custody in return for visits and regular contact with Molly on the phone and by e-mail.
She said she no longer wished to pursue the case because of the “mental and psychological strain” of fighting the case.
Yesterday, the chief judge, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, said both parents had agreed Ms Campbell would be free to visit Pakistan to see her daughter, with expenses paid by Mr Rana.
Afterwards, Molly said: “I am really happy. Thanks be to God. I can stay in Pakistan with my family and get on with my life. I can study. I can go to school.”
Asked if she planned to travel to Britain, she said: “My mum will come and visit me here. I am not going to go there.”
Ms Campbell’s lawyer, Nahida Mehboob Elahi, said she was satisfied with the outcome, saying a clause in the agreement that the girl could travel to Britain was “a very big success”. Despite Molly’s apparent reluctance to travel to see her mother, Ms Elahi said it was important for her still to have the choice to do so.
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http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1496