ISLAMABAD: The stepmother of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl, Sara Sharif, who was found dead at her residence in the United Kingdom in August said on Wednesday her family was willing to cooperate with the British police and fight the case in court.
Beinash Batool and her husband Urfan Sharif are being sought by Pakistani and UK police authorities and are believed to be hiding in Pakistan since their daughter's death.
This was the first time they issued a video statement and shared with a British channel, Sky News.
“Firstly, I would like to talk about Sara,” Batool said in the video statement. “Sara’s death was an incident. Our family in Pakistan are severely affected by all that is going on. All the media have been giving wrong statements and making up lies. Urfan did not give a statement that Sara fell down the stairs and broke her neck. This was spread through a Pakistani media outlet.”
She said that her family members had gone into hiding since they were “scared for their safety.”
“The kids are unable to leave the school as they are unable to leave the house,” she continued. “No one is leaving the house. The groceries have run out and there is no food for the kids as their adults are unable to leave the home out of fear of safety. That is why we have gone into hiding.”
“Lastly,” Batool added, “we are willing to cooperate with the UK authorities and fight our case in court.”
Prior to her statement, Urfan Sharif’s father in Pakistan urged his son and daughter-in-law to cooperate with the UK authorities, saying they should present themselves before the law and clarify their position.
An autopsy did not establish the cause of death of the 10-year-old, though did show that the girl had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries, which are likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time,” according to police statement.
