Sara Sharif’s grandfather will ‘fight to keep her siblings safe in Pakistan’

Sara Sharif’s grandfather has vowed to stop the murdered schoolgirl’s siblings from returning to the UK, claiming Pakistan is the ‘safest place’ for the youngsters.

Muhammad Sharif, 69, claims Sara’s five siblings do not want to return to Britain, despite the efforts of the UK Government to bring them home.

The children were taken to Pakistan by Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, who fled the country on August 9 last year, a day before Sara’s lifeless body was discovered in a bunk bed at their family home in Woking, Surrey.

Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal also fled to Pakistan, before eventually returning home to stand trial for the schoolgirl’s murder, leaving the children behind.

However, Sara’s siblings still remain in the city of Jhelum under the care of their grandfather, with efforts to return them to the UK still ongoing.

Their identities are protected by a court order.

The murdered 10-year-old was the victim of immense suffering in the months before her death, with apost mortem revealing at least 71 external injuries on her body at the time of her death, making it near-impossible to determine which specific injury caused her death.

Some of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father and stepmother included having her arms and legs bound and her head wrapped in a plastic bag secured with parcel tape while her relatives battered her with a cricket bat, metal pole and a rolling pin, strangling her until her neck broke, and burning her with an iron and biting her.

Sara’s siblings were made wards of the court following her death, meaning they cannot be removed from England or Wales without approval.

But an application by Surrey county council to the High Court in Lahore to bring the children back to the UK is now being fought by their grandfather, who is confident he will win.

He told The Sunday Times: ‘My five grandchildren reside with me in Jhelum at my family home. The children have not inquired about their parents and are happy living with us. 

‘The legal proceedings concerning the custody of the children are ongoing in the Lahore High Court.

‘They are enrolled in a reputable school, and we ensure their safety by personally transporting them to and from school.

‘I am their guardian and this is the safest place for them to live in, they have an association with me and they are not willing to leave me. We will win the case.’

The 69-year-old’s son Urfan and Batool were convicted of the Sara’s murder at the Old Bailey last week.

Malik was found guilty of causing or allowing her death.

Muhammed spoke of his shock after his family suddenly landed in Pakistan and came straight to his home. ‘When Urfan unexpectedly arrived at our family home in Jhelum to inform me that Sara is no more, I could hardly believe it,’ he said.

‘I had anticipated her arrival with them, got shocking news about her. I was broken with grief, crying out and shouting; it was a heart-wrenching experience for me… When police began their search, they left early the next morning to evade arrest.’

Yet despite evidence to the contrary, Muhammed still believes his son is innocent, and instead pinned the blame for Sara’s death of stepmother Batool. 

He told the Times: ‘While I was unaware of the extent of the mistreatment and abuse, I did recognise that Batool, the stepmother, was not treating Sara well … I cannot understand that she was subjected to brutal beatings. Beinash Batool’s conduct as a stepmother towards Sara …. was inappropriate; she frequently scolded and beat her.’

A Surrey County Council spokesperson said: ‘We are continuing to work our way through this highly complex situation, sensitively and carefully, working closely with all of the agencies concerned.

‘Our overriding priority remains the wellbeing of the children and we request that their privacy is respected.’

Sharif, Batool and Malik will be sentenced on Tuesday.

Will Forster, Liberal Democrat MP for Woking, where Sara lived, said hundreds of people attended a ‘very moving’ vigil in her memory on Sunday evening.

‘So many are heartbroken by her loss,’ Mr Forster said on X.

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