Pakistan Protests UK Rally Threat Against Army Chief
Pakistan has summoned Britain’s deputy high commissioner after a video circulated online showing a woman at a rally in the UK city of Bradford appearing to threaten Pakistan’s army chief.
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in Matt Cannell on Friday, demanding an investigation into remarks made during the protest that referred to a possible car-bomb attack against Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Asim Munir, according to officials and local media reports.
The comments were made at a rally organised in support of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned. The demonstration took place in northern England and was attended by supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Khan, who was removed from office in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, has been in prison for two years following a corruption conviction. Despite this, he continues to command significant popular support.
The Bradford rally came shortly after a Pakistani court sentenced Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison over allegations that they retained and sold state gifts, including jewellery from Saudi Arabia, below market value while he was in office.
Footage of the rally was posted by the British chapter of PTI on X before later being deleted.
Pakistan’s deputy interior minister, Talal Chaudhry, said the remarks made at the rally went far beyond acceptable political expression. Speaking to Geo Television, he said Khan’s party had been inciting supporters against the military, adding that “the car-bomb threat” had “crossed all limits”. He urged the UK government to investigate the incident and take legal action.
In response, the UK High Commission in Islamabad said in a statement: “Where a foreign Government believes a crime has been committed, they should provide all relevant material to their UK police liaison. Any material that appears to break UK law will be reviewed by the police and may lead to a criminal investigation.”
Tensions between Khan’s party and Pakistan’s powerful military have intensified in recent months. Earlier this month, army spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry described Khan as “mentally ill” at a press conference, following posts on Khan’s official X account that referred to General Munir as “mentally unstable”.
Many of Khan’s supporters accuse Munir of playing a central role in their leader’s imprisonment.
Munir’s profile has risen this year after Pakistan said it repelled India during a four-day border conflict. The nuclear-armed neighbours exchanged strikes in May following an Indian operation against militants inside Pakistan, whom New Delhi blamed for the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Khan has repeatedly claimed that his removal from office was part of a US-backed conspiracy supported by Pakistan’s military. These allegations have been denied by Washington, the Pakistani armed forces and Khan’s political opponents.
