Pakistan court rules Sara Sharif's siblings stay with grandfather
A court in Pakistan has made Sara Sharif's paternal grandfather the guardian of her five siblings, ending years of legal limbo after the children were taken to Pakistan in 2023.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A court in Pakistan has ruled that the five siblings of Sara Sharif, the 10-year-old girl murdered by her father and stepmother in Surrey in 2023, will live with their paternal grandfather. The decision ends, at least in practical terms, a long period of legal uncertainty over the children's future.
Sara was killed in 2023. In the days after her murder, her father, stepmother and uncle took her five siblings to Pakistan in August 2023. The children disappeared until police found them hiding at their grandfather's house. The adults were not discovered at that point and flew back to the UK. They were arrested on the plane. Sara's father and stepmother were later found guilty of her murder, and her uncle was found guilty of causing or allowing her death.
The children remained in Pakistan. Their future became the subject of a legal tug of war: whether they should be brought to the UK or stay with their grandfather in Pakistan. Over three years, the case, and at times the children themselves, moved in and out of courts. At the first hearing, all five children attended, with the youngest still a baby in nappies.
Proceedings in England have ended, and Surrey County Council withdrew from the case in June. The grandfather, who the children had been staying with, was made their guardian. He said: 'It is my responsibility to ensure they get a best possible education and care.' Asked about the children understanding what had happened, he said: 'We will help them return to a normal life. Hardships can happen to anyone at any time or place. This incident has happened and we will move forward.'
The grandfather has said the children can return to the UK if they choose when they are older. Their life has been in Pakistan for more than three years, the life they once shared with their sister now thousands of miles away.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A court in Pakistan ruled that Sara Sharif's five siblings will live with their paternal grandfather, who was made their guardian. | |
| Surrey County Council ended its involvement in the case in June after proceedings in England concluded. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The broadcast led with the Pakistan court ruling and framed it as the end of years of legal limbo for Sara Sharif's five siblings. It mixed the legal outcome with personal details about Sara, the children's time in Pakistan, and the grandfather's comments about their care and future. The tone was factual and sombre, with no adversarial framing of the decision.
- “The five siblings of Sara Sharif, the young girl who was murdered by her father and stepmother in Surrey in 2023, will live with their paternal grandfather, a court in Pakistan has ruled.”
- “It is my responsibility to ensure they get a best possible education and care.”
- “We will help them return to a normal life.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.