Sara Sharif's dad and stepmum say they are 'willing to co-operate with UK authorities' in first contact since her death
6 September 2023, 09:26 | Updated: 8 September 2023, 14:53
Sara Shariff: Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool say they are willing to cooperate with UK authorities
The father and stepmum of Sara Sharif have said they are willing to co-operate with UK authorities in the first public contact they have made since her death.
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Sara's body was found at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10. A murder investigation was launched following the discovery.
Surrey Police have said they want to speak to her father, Urfan Sharif, as well as his partner Beinash Batool - both of which appear in the video.
In newly released footage, Ms Batool describes Sara's death as an "incident".
"Firstly, I would like to talk about Sara. Sara's death was an incident. Our family in Pakistan are severely affected by all that is going on," Ms Batool said.
An inquest held last month could not give Sara's cause of death, though said it was likely to be "unnatural".
A post-mortem examination showed the 10-year-old had "suffered multiple and extensive injuries" - "likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time".
In the video, Ms Batool accuses police in Pakistan of harassing their family, including by raiding their homes.
Jhelum police chief Mehmood Bajwa said allegations of harassment are false.
Read More: Sara Sharif 'so badly injured her own mother did not recognise her at the mortuary'
"All of our family members have gone into hiding as everyone is scared for their safety," she said.
"The kids are unable to attend school as they're afraid to leave the house. No one is leaving the house.
"The groceries have run out and there is no food for the kids as the adults are unable to leave their homes out of fear for safety."
"Lastly, we are willing to cooperate with the UK authorities and fight our case in court," she added.
