The United Kingdom has requested evidence from the Pakistani government regarding threatening statements made against Pakistan’s military leadership during a protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford.
Pakistan issued a formal demarche to the British Deputy Head of Mission on Friday night, following which the British High Commission requested relevant evidence concerning the incident.
According to the British broadcaster BBC, a spokesperson for the High Commission said that in the UK, police and prosecution operate independently of the government.
If a foreign government suspects that a crime has been committed on British soil, it may provide all relevant evidence to the police liaison, after which the police will review the material in accordance with the law.
The spokesperson added that a criminal investigation could be initiated if laws have been violated and that each case would be dealt with under UK law.
The demarche followed a protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford, during which demonstrators reportedly raised threatening slogans against Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources, the British Deputy Head of Mission, Matt Kennell, was summoned to the Foreign Office since British High Commissioner Jane Marriott was not in the country at the time.
The sources stated that Pakistan lodged strong objections over the incident and requested that legal action be taken against those involved in threats and inflammatory slogans.
The Foreign Office emphasised that the Pakistani government had taken the threats made on British soil very seriously and expected the UK to ensure its territory is not used to destabilise Pakistan.
The demarche stressed that any threats made against the state institutions or top military leadership of another country from foreign soil are unacceptable.
Pakistan expects the British authorities to take prompt and effective measures against such elements and hold them accountable under the law.
The sources indicated that the protest was organised through an official social media account linked to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in London, to mobilise demonstrators in the UK.
During the protest, highly inflammatory and objectionable language was used against the army chief, including explicit threats to the life of Field Marshal Asim Munir, reportedly including calls for a car bomb attack.
A video shared on PTI London’s official X account showed the slogans and threats being made.
The Foreign Office, in its protest note to the British acting High Commissioner, highlighted that British soil had been used to target the Field Marshal and expressed Pakistan’s expectation that the UK government would treat the matter seriously and take legal action against the responsible individuals.
