Irish parents suspect foul play in daughter’s death in Pakistan

LONDON: The parents of a woman who died in Pakistan in suspicious circumstances have appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to look into the case of their daughter who was visiting with her partner and two children.

Chloe and Sean Devlin, the Irish parents of Kelsey Devlin, who live in Burnley near Manchester, told The News that they suspect their daughter may have died unnaturally and therefore an investigation should be carried out to establish facts. Kelsey travelled to Pakistan on June 3 and died on June 30, 2021.

Kelsey travelled to Pakistan with her partner and also took her children with her. Her parents said she travelled out to meet her partner’s mother, who was said to have been critically ill.

Parents of Kelsey told this reporter that they contacted the British High Commission, whose staff was allegedly denied access to Kelsey when she was in hospital. When approached by The News, both the British High Commission and the UK’s Foreign Office refused to comment on the case.

However, Kelsey’s partner said the British High Commission (BHC) was aware of all the facts. He refused to speak about the allegations levelled by the parents but added that the BHC was aware of what happened.

Parliamentarians Antony Higginbotham MP and Naz Shah have written to PM Imran Khan, seeking his government’s help. The letter says: “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 states ‘epilepsy since childhood’, Kelsey never had epilepsy and was a trophy winning avid footballer who was very fit and well.”

Sean said his daughter got admitted to the hospital on June 9; three days later her partner told her parents she was in a poor condition, requesting prayers; then sent a picture of Kelsey with a breathing mask on her face in a hospital bed; on June 15 Kelsey was put into an induced coma and Kelsey Devlin’s partner shared a video of Kelsey; and on June 30 Kelsey passed away.

Kelsey Devlin’s father alleges that his daughter was buried without any consultation or consent from the family and the family in Burnley was informed only after the burial. He requested PM Imran Khan to look into the matter and order an independent inquiry.

The letter from MPs said: “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.”