Baby behind bars: Drug trafficking mother returns to jail after giving birth
Khadija Shah, 25, is being held on charges of trying to
smuggle heroin worth nearly $5 million onto a flight to Britain.
She gave birth to a baby girl, Malaikam a few weeks ago and
returned to the Adiala prison near Islamabad. The birth was not reported until Sunday.
The baby has had no immunisations and has already had to be
hospitalised when she developed severe diarrhoea in the
prison, British legal group Reprieve said.
"To keep a baby behind bars is truly barbaric. Baby Malaika
is weak and suffering from terrible health problems while
Khadija faces execution. No mother would wish this scenario on
their worst enemy," Reprieve investigator Sultana Noon said in a
statement.
Shah has two other young children. After a period of
incarceration when their mother was arrested in May this year,
they were freed into the care of a relative.
Mothers are frequently imprisoned with their children while
their cases are heard in the congested legal system. Criminal cases can take years to complete.
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Poor child has to suffer only because of her mother. And can't understand sympathy with the woman. Had she been succeeded in getting through and caught in UK, the whole country was to get the blame.
@Ali sympathy with her innocent offspring....
There is need of this supply in UK so why worry otherwise this 5 million will go waste. Send both to UK
Crime is an equal-opportunity employer in Pakistan. Khawateen have the same rights as men !!
It seems that crime issue has got mixed up with a humanitarian one, making this a hot potato. Since she is a British citizen the best option would be to deport her and pass the buck to the British authorities who will have better facilities to take care of the lady and the kid.
Oh dear. This news has also been reported in Mail on Sunday: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2224105/Bringing-baby-Death-Row-regretful-British-mother-smuggled-3million-heroin-border-bulging-suitcases.html It appears to to be suggesting that the drug barons are mostly Pakistanis. I wonder how many are politicians and could someone let me know what the punishment is under sharia law. Once again, Pakistan in the news for the wrong reasons.
@Ali: It is not about women's rights. It is about the baby who has not committed any crime. What should be done for the baby?
IMO leniency should be shown for the sake of the baby; even if one has no sympathy for the mother. Ideally, there should be special facilities for mothers and babies in prison but we are a long, long way from even basic facilities in prison.
she must be sent back to hospital with her daughter on humanitarian grounds.
She should be repatriated to UK. It will take care of child and her case too.
I'm confused. Is this a women's right cause? She was trafficking drugs which would have ended up killing people in the long run. Before sympathizing with her we should remember that.