Calls for UK government to discuss siblings' return

Sara Sharif's body was found in August 2023

The MP for Woking has called for the UK government to discuss the return of Sara Sharif's siblings from Pakistan.

At the House of Commons on Tuesday, Liberal Democrat MP Will Forster asked Hamish Falconer, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the foreign, commonwealth and development office, about Sara's five siblings who remain in Pakistan.

He asked if Falconer would agree to talk to the Pakistani government to vouch for Sara’s siblings' safety or to facilitate their return to the UK.

Falconer said the safety of British children overseas was of "utmost concern" and that he would be happy to meet with Forster to understand the case and see what could be done to support the children.

Sara’s siblings have been in Pakistan since her father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, travelled to Islamabad with her five brothers and sisters on 9 August 2023, the day before her body was found.

The children are currently with a relative in Pakistan, who had been given interim custody in December.

Mr Sharif, Ms Batool and Mr Malik are accused of killing Sara, 10, whose body was found at her home in Woking, Surrey, in August last year.

All three have pleaded not guilty.