Pakistani police won't take love-tug girl into custody

LAHORE, Pakistan, Sep 8 (Reuters) A Pakistani court said today that police could not take into custody a 12-year-old Scottish girl at the centre of an international custody row in a move aimed at preventing her being sent back to Britain.

Molly Campbell, who is known by the Muslim side of her family as Misbah Irum Ahmed Rana, left her mother in Scotland last month to travel to Pakistan to be with her father and older sister.

The court was ruling in response to a petition filed by Campbell's sister, who sought a protection order because of fears police might arrest the girl and send her back to her mother in Britain.

The mother, Louise Campbell, is the girl's legal guardian.

Police said they had no intention of taking the girl into custody.

''It is directed that Misbah should not be taken into custody by police without first informing and procuring orders of the guardian court,'' the Lahore High Court said in an order, referring to the civil court.

A state attorney, Seema Munawer, assured the court the police would not take custody of the girl.

''Police authorities have no intention to interfere in the custody matter of Misbah Irum or to hand her over to any third person or party,'' Munawer told the court on behalf of the police.

Unlike previous hearings, Campbell and her father and sister did not appear in court today but were represented by their lawyer, Abdul Basit.

A civil court on Wednesday granted the father temporary custody of the girl until the next hearing on 30 this month and invited the mother to attend.

Pakistan and Britain signed an agreement in 2003 under which police and judicial authorities in both countries help each other solve some 400 such cases of disputes over children brought from Britain to Pakistan every year.

REUTERS MS PC1734