As the high-drama chase of three British-Pakistanis comes to an end and they are boarded on a flight to the UK, stripped of thousands of pounds and five children to face murder accusations, they must have reflected on the phrase, “crimes of the past find one way or another to come back to haunt you.” Ever since a 10-year-old was found dead (as a result of “multiple and extensive injuries)” alone at her father’s house in Surrey, the local law enforcement authorities had launched an international manhunt to get the group back to Britain. Only a country that truly values the sovereignty of all human life could be interested in willingly going into an uphill battle of extradition, especially when it does not have any formal arrangement to get the runaways back from Pakistan. Surrey Police should be appreciated for its prompt and effective line of action that would ensure justice is carried out and a heartbroken mother gets some closure over her harrowing discovery. However, tokens of appreciation pouring in from all corners would not hesitate before painting the entire British-Pakistani community with the same vile colours. Crime is a crime and it should always be frowned upon. But to our greatest misfortune, so fragile is our standing before the international community that just one tragic occurrence is enough to smear egg over the face of the entire nation. It was only in April that the UK Home Secretary’s carelessly-worded remarks against British Pakistani men had drawn the ire of Pakistan’s foreign office as being “discriminatory and xenophobic.” While she may have let her inner prejudices encapsulate a highly misleading picture of an entire group, it would take utmost naivety to miss the connection between generalisations and crimes like Sara Sharif’s murder. For the sake of Pakistanis living around the world and at home, it can only be hoped that these men and women think twice before taking the law into their own hands. As for Sara, rest in peace, little one. May those who put out your sparkle so soon pay for their abominable depravities. *