Brit woman, kids held captive in Pak freed

London, Jun 19: Eight months after they were held captive by the family members of her husband, a British woman of Pakistani origin and her four children have been released.

Farzana Ahmed along with her brother Javed Siddique had travelled to Pakistan from Stockton-on-Tees, after suffering difficulties in her marriage and had expected her husband to join her.

According to police officials involved in the case, Farzana's husband failed to follow her and she was kept locked inside the home of her husband's family in Mirpur in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK).

Officials said during her captivity Farzana was treated like a 'slave', and forced to do tedious household work.

"She was miserable. She was not allowed to leave the house or do the normal activities, so she wrote a secret letter to her brother in the UK for help," The Telegraph quoted a senior police official Abdul Hamid, as saying.

"Now she is free. She is feeling better and is safe with we now just have to recover her documents and get her home," Hamid added.

A spokesman for the British High Commission in Islamabad said that the commission was ready to help the lady if needed.

"We are aware of the case and the local authorities are assisting the family," the spokesman said.

ANI