Khadija Shah case: Daughter Malaika released from Pakistan

The Foreign Office said it supported the move to bring back the girl

A child who was born behind bars to a British woman jailed in Pakistan has been released and returned to the UK.

Khadija Shah, from Birmingham, was arrested at Islamabad airport in 2012 and jailed for life in 2014 for smuggling 63kg (138lb) of heroin.

Shah gave birth to daughter Malaika, now believed to be six years old, while in prison.

Shah's family believe she was tricked into carrying heroin by traffickers.

The Foreign Office said it "supported her family in bringing her daughter to the UK".

Living in prison

Prison officials previously said that Shah and her daughter were being treated well.

Malaika had spent her entire life living behind bars before being released to the UK.

She is believed to have returned to the UK on 31 January, and social services in the UK were informed.

It is thought the Foreign Office worked with the Pakistani authorities over a "sustained period" to facilitate her release.

It is not yet known what is to happen to Shah.

Heroin in cases

Previously, Shah's mother said she believed traffickers took advantage of a vulnerable woman who was heavily pregnant.

The heroin, worth about £3.2m in the UK, was found inside a number of suitcases in Shah's possession.

The then 27-year-old claimed she had been carrying the cases for someone else, and was unaware of the contents.

Shah's mother has been looking after her two other children following her imprisonment.

The Foreign Office said: "Our staff continue to assist a British woman jailed in Pakistan.

"We supported her family in bringing her daughter to the UK, working with them and the Pakistani authorities."