Pregnant Briton denied bail in Pakistan

Khadija Shah from Birmingham has been held on alleged drug charges in Adiala jail near Islamabad. She is eight months pregnant and faces the prospect of giving birth in prison in mid-September. The Morning Star reports concerns over the lack of antenatal care and an outbreak of Tuberculosis which hit the prison this week as a result of poor hygiene. Ms Shah is accused of attempting to smuggle 63 kilograms of heroin from Pakistan to the UK. She told the BBC that she was there on holiday and did not know what was in her bags. She was originally held in custody with her four year old daughter and her five year old son until their grandmother took them back to the UK. She was refused bail on Thursday as the judge claimed she would be "better off in prison." The defence described the judge's decision: "The lack of concern for the health of Khadija and her baby is shocking. Keeping her in prison under the present conditions is at odds with both domestic law and Pakistan's international obligations." If found guilty the maximum penalty is the death by hanging. The country has the fifth highest capital punishment rate in the world. The case continues.