Pakistan arrests ex-minister over Canadian's death

ISLAMABAD, June 22 (Reuters) Police arrested a former Pakistani government minister today after a court cancelled his bail in connection with the death of a Canadian woman.

A 40-year-old Canadian woman of Pakistani origin was pronounced dead this month after then Minister of State for Communications Muhammad Shahid Jamil Qureshi took her to hospital in the capital, Islamabad.

Qureshi said the woman, Kafila Siddiqui, died of natural causes but her brothers have filed a complaint with police, accusing Qureshi of confining her against her will at a house where they had both been staying.

A court in Islamabad today cancelled Qureshi's bail and police arrested him as he left the court.

''He has been arrested and remanded into police custody for four days,'' a senior Islamabad administration official said.

Qureshi, a member of President Pervez Musharraf's ruling party, resigned from the cabinet last week, saying he did not want to give the impression he was using his position to influence the case.

Qureshi said he had found Siddiqui vomiting on the floor at the house where they had been staying and had taken her to hospital.

He said Siddiqui had been running a consultancy in Islamabad aimed at attracting Canadian investment.

REUTERS SKB VV1522