Irish woman dies mysteriously

LONDON: The parents of a woman — Kelsey Devlin, who died in Pakistan 10 days ago in suspicious circumstances, have appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to look into the case of their daughter – visiting the country with her partner and two children.

Chloe Devlin and Sean Devlin, the Irish parents of Kelsey Devlin, who live in Burnley near Manchester, told The News in an interview that they suspected their daughter might have died unnaturally, therefore, an investigation should be carried out to ascertain the facts.

Kelsey Devlin travelled to Pakistan on June 3 and died on June 30, 2021. Kelsey travelled to Pakistan with her partner Syed Atif Abbas and the couple also took their children Zara Devlin, 8, and Zain Abbas, 6, along with them. Kelsey Devlin’s parents said that the couple travelled to Pakistan to see Atif’s ailing mother who was said to have been in a critical condition.

Parents of Kelsey told this reporter that they contacted the British High Commission but the commission’s staff was denied an access to see Kelsey when she was in hospital.

Both British High Commission and the UK’s Foreign Office refused to comment on the case when The News approached them. However, Syed Atif Abbas said the British High Commission (BHC) was aware of all the facts. He refused to speak about the allegations leveled by his wife’s parents, adding that the High Commission had been aware of what had happened.

Parliamentarians, Antony Higginbotham and Naz Shah, have written a letter to PM Imran Khan requesting his government’s help for a fair investigation.

The letter reads, “What is extremely concerning is that the family have now been told three different stories of how Kelsey died. They were first told she died of COVID, then a stroke followed by sepsis, now a heart attack. Having since received a copy of the death certificate, these concerns are further heightened as it stated ‘epilepsy since childhood’. Kelsey never had epilepsy and was a trophy winning avid footballer who was very fit and well.” Devlin’s parents said, “The couple had a relationship involving control and coercion”.

Narrating the chronological events leading to her illness, Sean Devlin said, “My daughter got admitted in the hospital on June 9; three days later her husband informed us that she was in a poor condition, requesting prayers; then sent a picture of her with a breathing mask on her face in a hospital bed; on 15th she was put into an induced coma and Atif shared her video with us; and on June 30 she passed away”.

Kelsey Devlin’s father alleged that his daughter was buried without family’s consultation or consent and the family was informed only after her burial. He requested PM Imran Khan order an independent inquiry in to the incident. The letter from MPs further reads, “We also request an exhumation of the body for the purpose of a full autopsy and repatriation to the UK and the children to be returned to the UK to their grandparents. Should it be that Kelsey was in fact unwell and died due to illness as suggested, the family have a right to have transparency in the circumstances surrounding her death, and answers to the concerns they have raised so they can get some closure and grieve for their daughter/sister. This can only be achieved with your intervention and commitment to get to the bottom of how Kelsey died.”