'Sara Sharif's death was accident': Grandfather parrots murder suspect son's not-guilty statement

Sara Sharif's father has claimed that his daughter's death was the result of an accident, the 10-year-old's grandfather said in an interview with BBC.

"It was an accident, he didn't tell me how it happened," said Muhammad Sharif, and that Urfan Sharif, Sara's father had left the UK out of fear.

Post-mortem tests have found Sara sustained "multiple and extensive injuries".

For weeks, Pakistani authorities had been looking for Urfan, his friend, and his sibling without success.

In connection with their murder investigation, UK police want to talk to the three family members, however they departed the country for Pakistan on August 9, the day before Sara's corpse was discovered in Woking, Surrey.

Muhammad told the BBC that he did see his son in Pakistan when Urfan visited Jhelum, where he was reared and where many of his relatives now reside.

Muhammad said, "out of fear," when asked why Urfan travelled to Pakistan if the killing was an accident.

"His daughter died and when you go under so much trauma, obviously you can't think properly."

Asked how he felt about his son travelling to Pakistan, Sharif said: "All I can say is that they should have faced the case. They should have stayed there and faced it instead (of coming to Pakistan)."

He said: "They will ultimately go back to the UK and face their case."

Muhammad was visibly upset while speaking about Sara.

"I have a deep sorrow that my granddaughter passed. The grief will stay with me for the rest of my life."

He said she had visited Pakistan twice. "Everything about her was so beautiful. You cannot single out one thing, she was a very lovely granddaughter."

His brother Faisal Malik, his son Urfan, and his partner Beinash Batool all received a personal message from him. Police are interested in speaking with all three of them in connection with the murder inquiry. They departed the UK on August 9.

"Wherever they are, they will be able to listen to this. I say they should come out, defend their case, whatever it is. They should answer the questions. I don't say they should stay in hiding."

Pakistani authorities believe that the family arrived at the early-morning Islamabad International Airport on August 10, proceeded to Jhelum, where they stayed for a few days before leaving on August 13 after spending a short time in the village of Domeli.

Muhammad disputes that he recently spoke with Urfan. The family originally claimed Urfan had not visited them at all, the police told the BBC. Muhammad insisted that this was untrue and that he never denied seeing his son who lives in the UK.

The family of Urfan, who resides in Pakistan, has repeatedly sued Jhelum police, alleging that they have unlawfully detained a number of Urfan's siblings and brothers-in-law. The cops first declared they would not make any further arrests.

"We have had so many problems the last three weeks," Muhammad Sharif told us. "Some of my sons are on the run, others are with police. No one is making contact with us because of fear of the police."