LAHORE, Sept 1: A 12-year-old British girl earlier reported to have been abducted by her father and brought to Pakistan “had left the UK on her own and that nobody has forced her to do so,” Labour MP Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has quoted her as saying.

Mr Sarwar, who flew to Pakistan on Friday, told Dawn that he had secured an access to the girl who told him that she came to Pakistan of her own free will, and her father never abducted her. The MP has volunteered himself as a mediator to resolve the issue.

Molly Campbell, 12, whose Muslim name is Misbah Rana, was reported to have gone missing on return from school in Western Isles last Friday and her mother Louise Ann Campbell, in a news conference, alleged that she (Molly) had been abducted by her father, Sajid Ahmad Rana, for a forced marriage.

“There is no question of such a marriage. The girl herself and her family have denied anything like that,” the MP said. He added the girl’s father had also offered to him to take the girl to Britain if she wanted to do so. “I asked Molly whether she would like to get back to her mother, but she would simply refuse it.”

Mr Sarwar said the girl was happy to be with her father, brother and sister, and would say that she could speak to her mother whenever she wanted to do so. “Molly has decided to live in Pakistan permanently,” he added.

The family’s lawyer, Dr Muhammad Basit, told Dawn that he was making arrangements for a guardianship of the girl. “We will file a suit on Saturday or Monday.” He said the suit would be filed for an interim custody, and further proceedings would be made for a permanent guardianship of her father.

Asked whether a meeting is possible with the girl, the lawyer said he would soon arrange a news conference for local media for an opportunity to see the girl and ask questions. He added that only British media had been given access to the girl on Friday, so that things could be made clear there.

After a divorce in 2001, Mr Rana and Ms Louise Campbell separated. Two of their children opted to live with their father, while the third one, Molly, remained with her mother.

Reuters adds: Molly Campbell told a news conference carried by the BBC that she wanted to stay in Pakistan and live with her father.

“It was my own choice,” she said. “I asked my sister if I could go with her. I would like to stay in Pakistan. I thought I could live with my dad and I could still see my mum.”

Campbell’s brother Omar Rana, who lives in England, said he was angry at his mother for claiming that her daughter had been taken to Pakistan against her will.