ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan summoned Britain’s high commissioner on Friday and issued a formal demarche following “provocative” statements made during a protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford, where remarks aimed at the country’s civilian and military leadership were aired.
Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi confirmed that the British envoy was summoned and formally conveyed Pakistan’s concerns.
“The demarche was issued following provocative statements against Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership from British soil,” he said, adding that Islamabad had called on British authorities to “hold responsible elements to account in accordance with the law”.
However, in response to Pakistan’s protest over alleged threats to the top military leadership during the protest, the British High Commission has asked the Pakistani government to provide concrete evidence of any criminal offense committed on British soil.
The British High Commission informed Islamabad that police and prosecution in the United Kingdom operate independently of the government. It clarified that if a foreign government believes that a crime has been committed within British territory, it must submit all relevant evidence through the designated police liaison officer in the UK.
A spokesman for the UK High Commission said any material found to be in breach of UK law would be assessed by the police and on that basis a criminal investigation could be launched if warranted.
The spokesman said the UK follows established legal procedures and due process and that law enforcement agencies will examine any evidence provided to determine whether it meets the threshold for action under UK law.
It is pertinent to note that the FO’s move followed public statements by two ministers of state from the ruling PML-N, who said Pakistan had formally written to British authorities seeking action over “inflammatory” remarks, particularly with reference to a video circulating on social media.
Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry and Finance Minister Bilal Azhar Kayani confirmed the development in separate media interactions, with Kayani stating that “the chief of the armed forces was threatened” in the video. While Kayani named the opposition PTI in connection with the incident, Chaudhry did not.
The video shows a woman, surrounded by people holding PTI flags, making remarks wishing ill on an unnamed person, including saying they should be “blown up in a car”.
Responding to questions about the case, Chaudhry said: “Pakistan has formally written to Britain and expects them to act in accordance with their laws and legal system”.
He maintained that Pakistan had the right to file a case against those who “targeted the country’s institutions”.
He recalled that similar concerns had been raised in the past regarding “the use of social media platforms to incite hatred against state institutions and political figures”, adding that “the footage of the incident is available”.
“This is not a political matter, nor is it a matter of freedom of expression,” he said, calling it a clear violation of international law and British law, specifically referring to Britain’s Terrorism Act 2006.
“Every state is responsible for ensuring that its citizens, those who have taken asylum or those who live there, do not act to incite rebellion or violence against other sovereign states,” he stressed.
“The worrying thing is the specific mention of a car bomb, which makes it a targeted problem; it’s not something generalized, it seems to be carefully planned.”
“It seems there is a bigger plan involved and Pakistan has raised these concerns,” he added. “Inciting terrorism or provoking people was not akin to free speech.”
“You cannot have people in one state promoting terrorism against another sovereign state,” he said, expressing hope that the British government would take action, while warning that “Pakistan also has other options” in case of non-compliance.
Finance Minister Kayani said the incident shown in the video was “unacceptable” and “unfortunate” and accused the PTI of spreading violence and threats “under the guise of politics”.
“We have repeatedly said that PTI is spreading violence and threats under the guise of politics, justifying threats and abusing freedom of expression,” he said, adding that the party had “crossed a line” by “threatening the armed forces chief with murder under the guise of political protest”.
“It’s not politics[..] it is unacceptable,” Kayani said, terming the PTI a “national security threat” and claiming it had consistently used politics to cover up “violence”.
“Either on May 9, KP police used to attack soldiers and threatened the army chief [ ] if that’s not a national security threat, what is?” he said.
Asked whether further action was under consideration, Kayani said: “Firstly, we would urge the UK government to take immediate legal action and investigate the matter,” adding that the government remained open to “exploring other legal options”.
