Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess

Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess
A handout photograph released by Surrey Police on November 1, 2024, shows a grab taken from the bodycam footage of a police officer during the September 13, 2023 arrest at Gatwtick Airport of Urfan Sharif, father of British-Pakistani girl Sara Sharif. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 08 November 2024
Follow

Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess

Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess
  • Urfan Sharif is accused of murdering Sara Sharif last year, alongside her stepmother and uncle
  • Police found the girl’s body with multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks at her home

LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on trial in London for her murder on Friday said his wife told him to confess to killing his daughter.
Urfan Sharif, 42, is accused of murdering Sara Sharif on August 8 last year, alongside her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
All three deny the charge and of causing or allowing her death.
A jury at the Old Bailey court was told that all three left the family home in Woking, southwest of London, the day after Sara died and flew to Pakistan.
Sara’s body, which had multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks, was found by police after a tip-off from Sharif in Islamabad.
Giving evidence for a fourth day, he said he was devastated by her death but agreed to leave because Batool had told him Sara had been beaten by another of his children, and he feared the consequences for them.
Before leaving, he wrote a note taking the blame. “Whoever sees this note, it’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating,” it read.
But Sharif told the jury that the confession was dictated by his wife.
“I was merely writing, the wording was not mine,” he said, insisting he took the blame to protect his other children.
Before leaving on August 9, 2023, Sharif left the house keys under the doormat, so the police would not have to break through the door, and had resolved to tell the authorities about Sara when he was out of the country.
A recording was played in court of Sharif’s garbled phone call to police in the UK after arriving in Islamabad.
“I killed my daughter, I killed my daughter,” he said.
Instructing police to the house, he said he “left in a panic” and added: “I promise I’ll come back.”
One month later, Sharif, Batool and Malik returned to the UK and were arrested.


Pakistani mission in Syria says working to evacuate stranded pilgrims and expatriates

Pakistani mission in Syria says working to evacuate stranded pilgrims and expatriates
Updated 32 sec ago
Follow

Pakistani mission in Syria says working to evacuate stranded pilgrims and expatriates

Pakistani mission in Syria says working to evacuate stranded pilgrims and expatriates
  • Over 1,200 members of the Pakistani expat community and more than 140 pilgrims are currently stranded in Syria
  • The embassy has urged Pakistani nationals to avoid travel, stay in contact, keep food supplies and follow updates

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s embassy in Syria said on Sunday that it was working to provide shelter and evacuate Pakistani pilgrims and expatriates, with stranded Pakistanis calling to expedite repatriation efforts.
The development came hours after Pakistan’s Foreign Office activated its Crisis Management Unit (CMU) to assist Pakistanis stranded in Syria as Syrian opposition forces entered Damascus and reports emerged that President Bashar Assad had left the capital for an undisclosed destination.
The dramatic comeback by Syrian opposition forces follows days of fierce fighting and thousands of Syrians in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus, waving and chanting “Freedom,” witnesses said.
Pakistan’s embassy in Syria said it was focusing on accommodating Pakistani nationals at a school run by it so that they could have a secure place to stay and arranging flights for their repatriation to Pakistan.
“Our ambassador is in contact with the Foreign Office and we are working to arrange chartered flights for the repatriation of Pakistanis from Syria at the earliest,” Muhammad Nafees, an official at the Pakistani embassy in Damascus, told Arab News over the phone.
“But this depends on the availability of transportation and operational airports.”
Nafees said Syria’s airports and borders with Jordan and Oman were currently closed, posing a “major challenge” to the repatriation effort.
“Around 140 pilgrims are stranded in Sayyidah Zaynab [city near Damascus] as they were supposed to return from the pilgrimage by December 10, but are unable to proceed due to the suspension of flight operations and non-functional airports,” he added.
The official said there were around 1,200 Pakistanis, including 58 students of a religious school, living in Syria.
“Of these, 250 individuals have expressed their willingness to return to Pakistan by contacting us through the form provided by the embassy,” he said, adding that some Pakistanis with Syrian citizenship did not wish to return to Pakistan.
“Currently, there is no functional traffic in the city, making it difficult for them to reach the embassy or for us to send anyone due to the traffic blockade.”
He said the mission had issued an advisory to the community through all social media platforms and mobile phones, urging them to avoid travel, stay in contact, keep sufficient food supplies, and follow updates for further instructions.
Speaking to Arab News, Pakistani pilgrims and expatriates residing in Syria expressed fears for their safety and called for urgent efforts to expedite their repatriation.
Abeel Hassan, a pilgrim from Pakistan’s Parachinar, said although the situation was calm so far, the pilgrims were worried about their safety.
“Our group consists of 14 people, including women, and we have limited finances and cannot afford an extended stay at the hotel,” he said.
Hassan, who arrived for the pilgrimage in Syria on December 5 and was scheduled to fly to Iran on December 10, hoped the situation would stabilize soon and flight operations would resume.
Ilyas Naqvi, a Pakistani expatriate from Islamabad who has been living and working in Sayyidah Zaynab along with his wife and two sons since 2000, wished for immediate repatriation.
“We request that our embassy and the Government of Pakistan act swiftly to evacuate us from Syria as soon as possible as many of us have small children,” he told Arab News, adding that there were around 200 Pakistanis, including women and children, living in Sayyidah Zaynab.
“Although the new forces have not yet threatened the people, everyone is very scared. We want to go to the embassy, as we believe it will be safer there and we will feel more secure under their protection.”
Pakistan earlier this week expressed alarm over the turmoil in Syria and urged de-escalation.
The fall of Homs and the threat to Damascus pose an immediate existential danger to the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign over Syria and Iran’s influence in the country, stoking fears of renewed regional instability.


Pakistani province supplies medicines via helicopter to northwestern district hit by sectarian clashes

Pakistani province supplies medicines via helicopter to northwestern district hit by sectarian clashes
Updated 08 December 2024
Follow

Pakistani province supplies medicines via helicopter to northwestern district hit by sectarian clashes

Pakistani province supplies medicines via helicopter to northwestern district hit by sectarian clashes
  • Sectarian clashes in Kurram that broke out last month triggered road closures, making medicines scarce
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to airlift patients from Kurram to Peshawar for treatment, says CM office 

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday dispatched a batch of essential medicines via a helicopter to the volatile Parachinar city in northwestern Kurram district, the Chief Minister’s Office said, where road closures triggered by sectarian clashes have made life difficult for citizens. 

Sectarian clashes between Shiite and Sunni communities in Pakistan’s volatile Kurram district that broke out on Nov. 21 took 133 people’s lives and injured over 170. Authorities closed the main arteries surrounding Kurram in the aftermath of the clashes to ensure security for its residents. 

A grand council of tribal elders formed by the KP government this week imposed an “indefinite ceasefire” in the district, officials confirmed. However, the road closures have made life difficult for people who say essential medicines are scarce and treatment is difficult to obtain. 

“On the special instructions of KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the first batch of medicines and other essential items were sent to Parachinar today via the provincial government’s MI-7 helicopter,” the CM’s Office said. 

“The second batch of medicines and other essential items will also be sent to Kurram today via a helicopter.”

The CM office said injured patients will be airlifted to Peshawar on the same helicopter for medical treatment, adding that medicines will continue to be supplied the same way to Kurram until the roads are completely opened for traffic.

State-run media said this was not the first time medicines were dispatched via helicopter to Kurram district. 

“The availability of essential medicines in the area should be ensured at all times,” the statement quoted CM Ali Amin Gandapur as saying. “The process of providing medicines through helicopters in the area should continue until land connectivity is fully restored.”

He added that the KP government would utilize all available resources to provide medicines and other necessities to the people.

Pakistan is a Sunni-majority country, but Kurram has a large Shiite population, and the communities have clashed for decades. The latest round of clashes broke out in the restive district after a caravan of Shiites was attacked in Parachinar town last Thursday, killing 41. 

Kurram has a long history of violent conflicts that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years. A major conflict in the district, triggered in 2007, lasted for years before being resolved by a jirga, a council of tribal elders, in 2011.

Residents of the area have demanded the government resolve land disputes that have the potential to trigger deadly clashes, to avoid sectarian tensions in the future. 


Italian ship ‘Amerigo Vespucci’ arrives in Pakistan for three-day goodwill visit 

Italian ship ‘Amerigo Vespucci’ arrives in Pakistan for three-day goodwill visit 
Updated 08 December 2024
Follow

Italian ship ‘Amerigo Vespucci’ arrives in Pakistan for three-day goodwill visit 

Italian ship ‘Amerigo Vespucci’ arrives in Pakistan for three-day goodwill visit 
  • Vespucci’s arrival makes it the third visit by an Italian Navy ship to Pakistan in last two months
  • Pakistan says visit underscores strengthening of Pakistan-Italian relations, bilateral cooperation

KARACHI: Italian Navy sailing and training ship ‘IT Amerigo Vespucci’ arrived at the Karachi Port this week for a three-day visit aimed at fostering stronger bilateral ties between the countries, Pakistan Navy said in a statement. 

This marks the third consecutive visit of an Italian Navy ship to Pakistan in the last two months. Upon arrival at the Karachi Port, the Italian ship was received by officials from the Pakistan Navy, Italian Navy and Italian Ambassador to Pakistan Marilina Armellin.

“Italian Navy’s sailing and training ship, ITS Amerigo Vespucci, arrived at Karachi Port for a three-day goodwill visit as part of its global voyage,” Pakistan Navy’s media wing said on Saturday. 

The navy said that Vespucci’s visit underscores the strengthening of Pakistan-Italian relations in general and “growing” bilateral cooperation between the two navies in particular.

“Pakistan Navy remains committed to enhancing bilateral cooperation with regional and extra-regional navies, fostering global partnerships and ensuring a lawful maritime order,” it said. 

Pakistan regularly collaborates with navies from various parts of the world to ensure illicit activities such as smuggling, drug-trafficking and piracy are kept in check. 


Pakistani elephant Sonia dies less than two weeks after reunion with sister Madhubala

Pakistani elephant Sonia dies less than two weeks after reunion with sister Madhubala
Updated 08 December 2024
Follow

Pakistani elephant Sonia dies less than two weeks after reunion with sister Madhubala

Pakistani elephant Sonia dies less than two weeks after reunion with sister Madhubala
  • Elephant’s post-mortem to be carried out on Monday, says international animal welfare organization 
  • Sonia, sisters Madhubala, Malika and Noor Jehan, were brought from Tanzania to Pakistan in 2009

KARACHI: Pakistani elephant Sonia passed away at the Safari Park in Karachi on Sunday morning, an official confirmed, less than two weeks after she was reunited with her sister Madhubala after a 15-year-long separation. 

Sisters Sonia, Malika, Noor Jehan and Madhubala were caught in the wild in Tanzania at a young age and brought to Pakistan together in 2009 but were soon separated, with Noor Jehan and Madhubala moved to the Karachi Zoo and Malika and Sonia to the city’s Safari Park. 

Noor Jehan died in April 2023 at age 17 following a prolonged illness caused by neglect, leaving Madhubala alone at the zoo. After a 15-year-long separation, Madhubala was shifted to the Safari Park on Nov. 26 where she was reunited with Malika and Sonia, estimated to be between 17 and 19 years old. 

“Sonia, one of the three elephants at Karachi’s Safari Park, passed away this morning,” Amjad Zaidi, director of the Safari Park, told Arab News.

“There were no health issues, and she appeared to be in perfect condition,” he added. 

Dr. Amir Khalil, director of the international animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS, said a doctor from Lahore would conduct Sonia’s post-mortem at Safari Park on Monday. 

“Based on this post-mortem report, it will be clear what factors led to the unexpected demise of Sonia,” Dr. Khalil told Arab News, highlighting that Sonia’s last medical report showed she was deficient in protein. 

FOUR PAWS said last month that the three elephants’ health was being observed by head veterinarian Dr. Frank Göritz from the Leibnitz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), who has been involved in treating the elephants since 2021.

In November 2021, after the provincial Sindh High Court asked FOUR PAWS to assess the Pakistani elephants’ well-being, all four required better diet and medical treatment. 

Pakistani English-language daily Dawn reported in July that Sonia was found to have developed a swelling between her hind legs. Zaidi told Dawn that Sonia had developed the infection but was recovering. 

Animal rights activists have long campaigned about the plight of animals in Pakistan, especially elephants, and demanded they be provided adequate medical care and nutrition. 


Pakistan cricket boss promises ‘good news’ about Champions Trophy amid hosting standoff

Pakistan cricket boss promises ‘good news’ about Champions Trophy amid hosting standoff
Updated 08 December 2024
Follow

Pakistan cricket boss promises ‘good news’ about Champions Trophy amid hosting standoff

Pakistan cricket boss promises ‘good news’ about Champions Trophy amid hosting standoff
  • Doubts persist over whether tournament will take place in Pakistan after India’s refusal to send cricket team 
  • Media outlets say PCB, ICC have reached deal to adopt “hybrid” model for Champions Trophy tournament

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Moshin Naqvi on Sunday promised the nation would receive “good news” about the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 cricket tournament to be hosted by Pakistan, as a standoff with India, which has refused to send its cricket team to the country, persists. 

Pakistan is scheduled to host the Champions Trophy 2025 tournament from February to March 2025 in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. However, the fate of the tournament remains unclear after India refused to tour Pakistan last month due to political tensions between the two countries. 

Media outlets, however, have reported that after several rounds of discussions between the PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), the ICC and the PCB are believed to have reached an agreement to adopt the hybrid model for global tournaments being hosted in Pakistan or India until 2027.

Such an arrangement would allow the two to play their games at ICC tournaments being hosted by the other at a neutral venue.

“God willing, good news about the upcoming Champions Trophy will come out soon,” Naqvi said in a statement after meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday, as per the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). 

Naqvi reiterated that Pakistan was “fully prepared” to host the tournament on its soil, adding that he wanted Pakistan and cricket to both win.

Sharif threw his support behind Naqvi, saying that he had represented all 240 million Pakistanis at a recent ICC meeting in Dubai regarding the Champions Trophy. 

“Pakistan’s respect comes first and then comes everything else,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the PMO. 

Political tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have restricted cultural exchanges and bilateral sports events between the two nations.

The two neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.

India’s national cricket team has not toured Pakistan since 2008 due to soured political relations between the two neighbors, who play each other only in global multi-team tournaments at neutral venues.

Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year but was forced to shift all of India’s matches to Sri Lanka under a hybrid model after India refused to send its team to Pakistan.