The fate of the siblings of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was found dead in her home in Woking, Surrey, is being determined by the courts in the UK and Pakistan. While the father, stepmother, and uncle deny Sara’s murder, legal battles are ongoing to determine where her siblings should live after being taken to Pakistan. As wards of court, the siblings were ordered to be returned to the UK, leading Surrey County Council to request their return from Pakistan. However, the court processes in Pakistan and London are ongoing, and the children remain in Pakistan.
Following an application by several media organisations, restrictions on reporting the legal process ongoing in London have been lifted. Prior to this, the children’s location and legal proceedings were not publicised. While the case to decide the siblings’ permanent custody remains pending, their interim custody has been granted to their grandfather, Muhammad Sharif, who is fighting to gain full custody of the children through Pakistan’s courts.
Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool, and Faisal Malik, who all left the UK for Pakistan the day before Sara’s death with the five siblings, were arrested and charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child, after flying back to the UK several days later. The three adults have since pleaded not guilty to the charges. The children, who are aged between one and 13, were discovered by Pakistan police during a raid at their grandfather’s house.
While the siblings’ fate continued to be determined by the courts, the media was previously restricted from covering the proceedings. However, with restrictions now lifted, it is expected that more information about the legal tussle in the UK and Pakistan will come to light
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