10 September 2023 , 07:57
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Two parents fled the UK after their daughter died on the advice of a lawyer who feared they would be mistreated for being Muslim, it has been claimed.
The father and step-mother left their home in Woking before 10 year old Sara Sharif was found dead. A post mortem said she had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries.” The family’s lawyer told The Mail on Sunday that Urfan Sharif, 41, and his partner Beinash Batool, 29, were urged to leave the UK by a British solicitor.
The runaway father and stepmother of Sara Sharif reportedly received the advice after the schoolgirl’s death, the family’s Pakistani lawyer said last night. Along with Sharif’s brother, Faisal Malik, 28, the three fled to Islamabad with the couple’s five children, aged between one and 13, in a “terrified” state on August 9, the lawyer said.
The mother of the 10-year-old has spoken of the grief she felt when she went to identify her daughter's body in the mortuary (PA)Sharif alerted police to his daughter’s body at the family home and they then found ten-year-old Sara’s body in Surrey. The discovery initiated a global search for her family. Police in Pakistan arrested ten members of Sharif’s extended family in their hometown of Jhelum in Punjab, including Urfan Sharif’s father, brothers, and cousins.
The parents released a video last week, and Batool, Sara’s step-mother described her death as an “incident” and said the pair were willing to co-operate with British police. Malik Asif Taufique, the Sharif family lawyer in Pakistan, claimed that after Sara died, the couple spoke to a British lawyer and friend, who has not been identified, who reportedly “terrified” the couple.
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The grandfather Sara Sharif has urged his fugitive son to hand himself in (PA)Taufique said: “Urfan and Beinash ran from the UK because a British lawyer there made them terrified, saying they would have a harsh punishment in the UK and they would lose custody of their children. They would be mistreated for being Muslims and a big scandal will be made against their faith.”
Taufique also represents Sharif’s brothers and 75-year-old father Muhammad. He claimed that Sharif and Batool have been in regular contact with British police since leaving the UK. A family friend said that when Sharif and Batool arrived in Pakistan they told relatives Sara died in an accident.
The parents were told they would be mistreated for being Muslims (Sky News)The friend said: “Urfan swore that Sara slipped from the stairs and died. He said he discussed this matter with a British lawyer and he advised him to run away, otherwise he will lose his other children and the authorities will hand them over to other people who may be of the Jewish faith or any other religion.”
Surrey Police are treating the death as murder. A spokesman said: “We are continuing to work with international agencies to progress our enquiries with the Pakistani authorities. The welfare of the five children is a priority for us.”