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A Scottish schoolgirl at the centre of a custody battle in Pakistan is now wearing a burkha and attending a Muslim school, The Times reported in an early edition of its Thursday newspaper.
Citing interviews with the girl, 12-year-old Molly Campbell, and her father, Sajjad Ahmed Rana, the newspaper reported that Campbell, also known by the Muslim name Misbah Iram Ahmad, was enrolled at the Jamia Hafsa madrassa in Islamabad.
The newspaper said Campbell was interviewed wearing a black burkha, surrounded by the madrassa's officials in one of the religious seminary's offices.
Rana confirmed that his daughter had left his home in Lahore to study there, but did not say when she would return.
"She is a grown person, she is an adult," Rana was quoted as saying by The Times.
"I would have liked her to be near me, but she wants to study Islam and she has joined this group for her education."
"The last time we were in Islamabad she had a look around and spent a day at the madrassa, but now she's made up her mind and she's going to join it."
According to The Times, the Jamia Hafsa madrassa is affiliated to the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque in Islamabad, which has been accused by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's government of harbouring Islamic militants wanted on terrorism charges.
The girl sparked a high-profile police investigation in August last year, after she ran away from her mother's home in Scotland to live with her father in Pakistan.
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AFP 102316 GMT 01 07
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