'My baby keeps me strong': British mother accused of smuggling heroin in Pakistan reveals agony of sharing jail cell with nine-month-old daughter
- Khadija Shah, 25, is in prison in Rawalpindi with baby daughter Malaika
- Accused of smuggling heroin but has not been convicted of the crime
- 'If Malaika was not here, I would be crazy because things are very hard'
By HUGO GYE PUBLISHED: 10:29 GMT, 31 July 2013 | UPDATED: 12:59 GMT, 31 July 2013
A British mother accused of smuggling heroin has spoken of her torment at having to bring up her baby daughter in a Pakistani prison cell. Khadija Shah says nine-month-old Malaika is the only thing keeping her sane as she waits to find out if she will face the death penalty for her alleged crimes. The 25-year-old from Birmingham has not had a date set for her trial, 14 months after she was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle £3.2million of heroin into the UK.
In prison: Khadija Shah, pictured with her daughter Malaika shortly after her birth, is in jail in Pakistan
She gave birth to Malaika in October, but was then forced to return with her to the Rawalpindi Central Jail, where she fears the baby will be struck down with one of the infectious diseases such as tuberculosis which are rife in the prison.
'If Malaika was not here, I would be crazy because things are very hard,' Mrs Shah told Vice. 'She keeps me strong.' Human rights charity Reprieve has been helping the British citizen, but she and the baby continue to face an uncertain future thanks to the slow pace of Pakistan's legal system.
Plight: Mrs Shah, from Birmingham, could face execution after being accused of smuggling heroin
'I am still breastfeeding,' Mrs Shah said. 'Every three months Prisoners Abroad give me some money for basic food items and Pampers for the baby, who I keep clean. 'She likes to play with empty wrappers of food items. I usually try to keep our surroundings clean, too.' Last year the prisoner complained that her newborn daughter was being bitten repeatedly by mosquitos, had developed severe diarrhoea and had not recieved vital inoculations.
Her older children Ibraham, six, and Aleesha, five, were originally in jail with their mother, but were flown back to the West Midlands over a year ago and she has not seen them since. 'They miss me, but never ask me where I am,' Mrs Shah said. 'I ignore things. I ignore what's happening to me.'Maya Foa of Reprieve said: 'We are extremely worried about Khadija and the health of her baby.
'What is still more troubling is that the British Government is complicit in her plight - by giving aid to Pakistan’s counter-narcotics programme, the UK is in effect helping to send people to death row for drugs offences, including its own citizens.'The young mother has denied any wrongdoing ever since she was arrested at Islamabad Airport in May last year. She claims she agreed to transport some suitcases as a favour for men she had recently met, and had no idea that the luggage contained heroin.
A British mother accused of smuggling heroin has spoken of her torment at having to bring up her baby daughter in a Pakistani prison cell. Khadija Shah says nine-month-old Malaika is the only thing keeping her sane as she waits to find out if she will face the death penalty for her alleged crimes. The 25-year-old from Birmingham has not had a date set for her trial, 14 months after she was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle £3.2million of heroin into the UK.
In prison: Khadija Shah, pictured with her daughter Malaika shortly after her birth, is in jail in Pakistan
She gave birth to Malaika in October, but was then forced to return with her to the Rawalpindi Central Jail, where she fears the baby will be struck down with one of the infectious diseases such as tuberculosis which are rife in the prison.
'If Malaika was not here, I would be crazy because things are very hard,' Mrs Shah told Vice. 'She keeps me strong.' Human rights charity Reprieve has been helping the British citizen, but she and the baby continue to face an uncertain future thanks to the slow pace of Pakistan's legal system.
Plight: Mrs Shah, from Birmingham, could face execution after being accused of smuggling heroin
'I am still breastfeeding,' Mrs Shah said. 'Every three months Prisoners Abroad give me some money for basic food items and Pampers for the baby, who I keep clean. 'She likes to play with empty wrappers of food items. I usually try to keep our surroundings clean, too.' Last year the prisoner complained that her newborn daughter was being bitten repeatedly by mosquitos, had developed severe diarrhoea and had not recieved vital inoculations.
Her older children Ibraham, six, and Aleesha, five, were originally in jail with their mother, but were flown back to the West Midlands over a year ago and she has not seen them since. 'They miss me, but never ask me where I am,' Mrs Shah said. 'I ignore things. I ignore what's happening to me.'Maya Foa of Reprieve said: 'We are extremely worried about Khadija and the health of her baby.
'What is still more troubling is that the British Government is complicit in her plight - by giving aid to Pakistan’s counter-narcotics programme, the UK is in effect helping to send people to death row for drugs offences, including its own citizens.'The young mother has denied any wrongdoing ever since she was arrested at Islamabad Airport in May last year. She claims she agreed to transport some suitcases as a favour for men she had recently met, and had no idea that the luggage contained heroin.
