By Nadia Badarudin

ALOR STAR: Seventy-three year old Hamid Mahasa shed tears of joy when he saw the news on television yesterday morning. His daughter, Siti Aishah Hamid whom he calls "Dik Na" returned to Malaysia yesterday.

She was released from detention from a Pakistani jail where she had been since April last year for attempted drug-trafficking.

"I couldn't believe when I saw the morning news on TV on her release. I was only convinced that she was back after reading the same news in the newspaper shown to me by my son," said Hamid.

"I am so excited to hear this and thankful that my prayers have been answered.

"Since she was detained, my health has been deteriorating and there was not a day I did not look at her photo and hoped for her return," he said.

He said that he was very close to Siti Aishah, the sixth of nine siblings because she had been taking care of him before.

"She and her husband, Jaafar Noor, have been taking care of me since five years ago in Kampung Permatang Pauh, Simpang Empat, Perlis. Since she left, I am now being taken care of by my son, Ali," he said when met at Ali's house in Kampung Seberang Perak here yesterday.

Ali said that he was thankful that his little sister is back.

"I'm thankful to the people who have helped my sister. I hope she will return to see our father soon," he said.

Siti Aishah, 44, who is disabled and also suffers from osteoporosis, was arrested at the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi on April 27 last year for attempting to smuggle out 950g of heroin in her make-up bag.

She was released by a court in Pakistan after finding her not guilty and returned home yesterday.

She was duped by an international syndicate into smuggling drugs after she was offered a two-week trip to Singapore as a gift for winning a contest conducted via text messaging.

Her husband, Jaafar said his last contact with his wife was on April 10 when she was in Singapore.

On April 27, he got a call from an officer at the Malaysian Consulate in Karachi, Gaafri Khalid Abdul Rahman, informing him that his wife had been detained for attempted drug smuggling.

-The New Straits Times