Sarah Inam: father of UAE resident killed in Pakistan ‘heartbroken’ as she is laid to rest

#JusticeForSarah has been trending on Twitter in Pakistan

Sarah Inam, a long-time Abu Dhabi resident, was killed in Islamabad, Pakistan, on September 23, 2022. Her husband was arrested by local police and a court sentenced him to death on December 14, 2023. Photo: Supplied

Sarah pictured in a cafe in Abu Dhabi. Her friends have been shocked by her death. Photo: Inam Family

A district and sessions court in Pakistan’s federal capital had issued arrest warrants for her husband Shahnawaz Amir.

Sarah grew up in Libya, Pakistan and Canada before settling in the Emirates more than a decade ago. Photo: Supplied

The father of a UAE resident allegedly killed by her husband in Pakistan has said he is “heartbroken”.

Inam Rahim spoke as Sarah Inam, an economist who lived in the UAE for 14 years, was laid to rest in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The Pakistani-Canadian, 38, had travelled to Islamabad from Abu Dhabi to see her husband. They had been married for only three months.

Islamabad Police identified her husband as Shahnawaz Amir, and said he had been arrested following her death last week.

She was with me just a month ago and now this has happened. I never thought even in my wildest imagination that something like this would happen to my daughter

Inam Rahim,
father of Sarah

Her parents arrived in Pakistan from Canada on Wednesday for the funeral.

Her father broke into tears as he spoke to local media at the site where funeral prayers were held.

“She was with me just a month ago and now this has happened. I never thought even in my wildest imagination that something like this would happen to my daughter,” he said.

“I raised her with a lot of love, and I loved her a lot. I used to talk to her every day over the phone or messages.

“She was doing so well. All her bosses used to ask her to come work for them again.”

Pakistani media reports quoted police as saying Inam was struck on the head with a dumbbell and her body left in a filled bath. It was discovered on Friday.

Inam's father said that he was demanding justice for her daughter.

“Justice delayed means justice denied,” he said.

Court case against husband pending

Mr Amir's father Ayaz Amir, a prominent journalist, and his wife were also arrested.

However, the elder Mr Amir was later released because of lack of evidence that connected him to the killing, according to Pakistani media.

The court case against the husband is continuing.

Inam was born in Libya and went to school in Libya, Islamabad and Canada, before attending the University of Waterloo in Canada, where she graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics.

After briefly working in Canada, she moved to Abu Dhabi and worked for Deloitte as a public policy consultant for four years. She spent most of the past decade working for two Abu Dhabi government departments.

Many of her colleagues and friends have paid tribute to her, with some who described her as “gentle” and “kind”.

Stephanie Habib, a close friend of Inam, said the talented economist was “full of life”.

“I met Sarah when I first came to Abu Dhabi and we both worked at a big consulting firm,” Ms Habib told The National.

“We quickly became close friends and spent a lot of time together. Like me, she was a female expat on her own trying to make a career and a future for herself.

“She was hardworking, ambitious and responsible. She didn't rely on anyone but herself.

“Sarah was full of life when she was killed. She wanted more than anything to find love, have a family of her own and be a mother.”

#JusticeForSarah was trending on Twitter at the weekend and the case has also caught the attention of Pakistani celebrities.