rfan Sharif, a Pakistani-British father suspected of involvement in the killing of his 10-year-old daughter Sara Sharif, returned to the United Kingdom to be interrogated by the authorities.

The child, born to Olga, a Polish woman and Urfan Sharif was found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey. Her body was found after the emergency services received a tip, reportedly from Urfan himself, relaying the whereabouts of the body.

While the cause of Sara Sharif’s death is yet to be established, a post-mortem report released by the UK authorities noted that the child had sustained multiple severe injuries over an extended period of time – a sign of child abuse and neglect.

Upon their arrival in the UK, Urfan Sharif, his current wife Beinish Batool and his younger brother Faisal Malik were arrested by the UK police on suspicion of murder.

Officials say the Punjab Police were instrumental in tracing Urfan, his spouse, their five children and his younger brother, after the UK authorities approached the Interpol.

The police say the trio left for the UK of their own volition after police had advised their extended family in Jhelum to cooperate and turn them in.

Sharif, his wife and brother had flown to Pakistan only a day before Sara Sharif’s body was found in the UK.

The family had sought refuge in Jhelum where they had been in hiding for many days. Their relatives had reportedly not cooperated with the police initially.

After a few days, Urfan Sharif and Sara’s stepmother issued a video message on social media denying the murder charge. The couple maintained that the child’s death was an accident.

While the two did not explain why they flew to Pakistan, they informed the authorities that they were willing to cooperate in the investigation.

Sharif’s five other children are still in Pakistan and under special care in the Child Protection Bureau. The police are in contact with their grandfather from whose home they were picked up by the authorities.

The three suspects recently recorded a statement before a UK court and are due to appear again in December for a plea hearing. They will be standing trial in September 2024.

The authorities have meanwhile released new pictures of Sara which they found during the course of the investigation in the hopes that more people who knew Sara and her family would step forward with evidence.

Urfan and Olga divorced in 2015. Sara and her brother lived with their mother until their custody was awarded to Urfan in 2019. Since then, the two siblings had been living with Urfan, his wife and uncle. Their mother had earlier voiced concerns that she rarely ever got to contact her two children.

Pakistan and the UK do not have an extradition treaty. A repatriation of suspects can only commence after the federal cabinet approves of it. After that, a court examines the evidence and passes a verdict on whether the fugitive needs to be returned. The suspect can then appeal the verdict in the high court and later, in the Supreme Court.

A list of people facing extradition cases in Pakistan shows that many are suspects in terrorist attacks or wanted for homicide investigations. The remaining are suspected of robbery, theft, fraud, fatal accidents and marital rape.

Many cases in which Pakistani British nationals flee to Pakistan are linked to ‘honour’ killings and forced marriages.

The swift return of suspects in Sara Sharif’s case might prove a deterrent for future fugitives from British justice. In the words of a police official, Pakistan is no longer a “safe exit.”

The writer is a member of the staff. He may be reached at vaqargillani@gmail.com and @waqargillani on X, formerly Twitter