ISLAMABAD – Pakistan delivered formal demarche to the United Kingdom, after protest in Bradford by the UK chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) openly threatened life of Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
As the clips from the protests made headlines, Islamabad launched strong diplomatic protest against UK after alarming threats were reportedly made during protest outside Pakistani Consulate in Bradford. The demonstration, organized by Pakistani political party based in UK, included shocking calls for violence against Pakistan’s top military leadership.
According to officials, protesters used highly provocative and derogatory language targeting Chief of Defence Staff, with some even threatening a deadly car bomb attack. Islamabad has expressed grave concern that such threats were issued from British soil, describing them as a serious breach of international norms.
In official complaint to Acting British High Commissioner in Islamabad, Pakistan urged UK government to prevent its territory from being used to destabilize Pakistan and demanded that those inciting violence be held accountable under British law. Video evidence and transcripts were submitted to British authorities in both London and Islamabad, showing a woman explicitly calling for Field Marshal Munir to be killed in a car bomb attack.
The statement also referenced 1988 plane crash that killed former military ruler General Zia ul Haq. The footage went viral after being shared by journalist and activists online.
Pakistani government termed this “unprecedented misuse of British territory” for activities amounting to incitement to terrorism and internal destabilization. Officials stressed that messages were not political rhetoric but clear calls for murder and glorification of violence, deliberately amplified to provoke unrest, street violence, and confrontations with state institutions inside Pakistan.
Pakistan also warned that political groups operating from UK have repeatedly sought to create chaos within the country, attempting to orchestrate internal instability while avoiding domestic accountability.
The formal complaint cited international and British legal frameworks, including UN Security Council Resolution 1373 and the UK Terrorism Act 2006, which criminalize encouragement, glorification, or indirect incitement to terrorism. It stressed that freedom of speech does not include the right to incite murder or civil violence, and that political asylum does not protect those promoting terrorism or destabilization abroad.
Pakistan demanded that UK immediately investigate and prosecute those responsible, examine the role of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf UK chapter in spreading violent messages, and ensure that British territory is not used to inspire violence in Pakistan.
Pakistan urges UK to take action over PTI-Linked video threatening army chief’s life
