Pakistani court adjourns British girl custody case

LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 17 (Reuters) A Pakistani court today adjourned a hearing into custody of a British girl after the lawyer for the girl's mother said the woman could not travel to Pakistan for health and financial reasons.

Police in Britain launched an investigation in August after the 12-year-old girl, Molly Campbell, left her mother in the Western Isles of Scotland to travel to the Pakistani city of Lahore with her father, Sajad Ahmed Rana, and her elder sister.

A Pakistani court took up the case at the beginning of September and invited the mother, Louise Campbell, who is also Molly's legal guardian, to appear.

A judge adjourned the hearing for the girl, who is known by the Muslim side of her family as Misbah Irum Ahmed Rana, early this month to give her mother a chance to raise money to come to Pakistan.

But Louise Campbell's lawyer, Nahida Mehboob Elahi, today said the mother had still not come to Pakistan because of health and financial reasons.

The court in October barred the girl from being taken out of Lahore and ordered the surrender of her passport until the case was settled.

The girl, who appeared at today's brief hearing with her brother, has said she wants to stay in Pakistan with her father.

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

Reuters SHB GC1258