Sara Sharif’s paternal grandfather has been granted guardianship of her siblings by a court in Pakistan.
The decision comes after years of legal limbo following the murder of 10-year-old Sara by her father and stepmother in 2023.
The children’s grandfather has said her siblings will retain their British citizenship so they can choose to return to the UK if they wish.
All five children, who are now aged between 16 and four, have been living in Pakistan since 2023. They were asked to speak to the judge in court, where the eldest said they were comfortable and the siblings were settled.
When told by the judge that the grandfather would become their guardian, the eldest responded saying “that’s all good”.
The five children have been in Pakistan since August 2023, when they were brought to the country by Sara’s father, stepmother and uncle after Sara was killed.
The family was in hiding for weeks before the children were discovered by police at the grandfather’s house. They were initially put into state childcare.
The adults flew back to the UK and were arrested at the airport. Sara’s father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool were found guilty of Sara’s murder. Sharif was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison and Batool received a minimum of 33 years.
Her uncle, Faisal Malik, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and given a 16-year sentence.
Sara had been hooded, burned and beaten during a “campaign of torture” that lasted two years before her body was found at the family home in Woking, Surrey.