Sohail Karim, played by Ronnie Jhutti, arrives in 1988 and takes a liking to Diane Butcher. He tries to blackmail her into dating him, by threatening to expose his sister Shireen's secret relationship with Diane's brother Ricky. Diane agrees until Sohail tries to molest her, and after the date ends abruptly, Sohail informs his father Ashraf about Shireen and Ricky. Sohail later rebels against his father's heavy-handed manner, and reacts badly when he discovers that his father is having an affair. Sohail, along with the rest of his family, moves to Bristol in 1990.