PTI deletes Bradford protest video after Pakistan expresses exasperation with UK

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s UK branch has removed a social media post showing footage of a protest outside Pakistan’s consulate in Bradford after the government accused a woman in the video of inciting violence against the chief of defense forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and formally raised the matter with Britain.

The action came a day after the Foreign Office summoned acting British High Commissioner Matt Cannell in Islamabad and handed him a demarche over what it described as “incitement to violence” from British soil, calling on British authorities to investigate the incident and take legal action under national law.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, PTI UK said it had deleted the video from the Bradford protest that contained what it called “a citizen’s metaphorical remarks regarding General Asim Munir”.

The party’s UK branch said it did not believe the person had directly incited violence, but removed the post “out of an abundance of caution to prevent potential misunderstanding”.

The statement stressed that the PTI “does not support illegal conduct of any kind” and urged supporters and “independent citizens” to measure their words so as not to be misunderstood.

The Bradford protest held earlier this week was one of several demonstrations by overseas PTI supporters in solidarity with jailed party founder Imran Khan. Protesters gathered outside the Pakistani consulate carrying party flags and shouting slogans critical of the military leadership.

Video in the middle of the row

A clip from the demonstration, uploaded from the verified @UKPTIOfficial account, showed a woman addressing the crowd and referring to the army chief in reference to a potential car bomb attack – language the government says crossed a red line by implying violence rather than mere political criticism.

Pakistani officials say the footage and its transcript have been shared with British authorities, along with a formal complaint accusing the speaker and those who amplified the video of “incitement to terrorism, violence and internal destabilization of a sovereign state”.

The original video has since been removed from PTI UK’s feed, but screenshots and reposts are still circulating on social media, including reels and clips shared by journalists and news outlets, which have been cited by the government in its correspondence with London.

Demarche to UK calling for legal action

On Friday, the Foreign Office said it had lodged a strong protest with Britain over the “highly provocative” remarks and demanded that those responsible be identified, investigated and prosecuted under UK anti-terror laws, arguing that calls for a car bomb attack fell outside the scope of freedom of expression.

Officials also asked Britain to take action against social media accounts allegedly involved in promoting violence against Pakistan’s state institutions, saying such activity could not be justified by claims for political asylum or exile.

Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, speaking to a private news channel, said the “car bomb threat” at the Bradford rally “crossed all boundaries” and “does not fall under the category of freedom of expression” and called on British authorities to open a criminal investigation.

The British High Commission in Islamabad responded in a brief statement carried by international media that where a foreign government believes a crime has been committed, it should share relevant material with its police liaison, and any content that appears to breach British law may be reviewed by the police and potentially trigger criminal proceedings.

PTI is under pressure at home and abroad

The controversy has added a new layer to already strained relations between the PTI and the security establishment. In recent weeks, military spokesmen have publicly criticized Khan’s rhetoric, with one senior officer describing the former prime minister as “mentally ill”. The PTI, on its part, accuses Field Marshal Munir of orchestrating what it calls politically motivated cases that have kept its founder behind bars.

Meanwhile, some PTI supporters abroad say the woman’s remarks were emotional and metaphorical rather than an actual call for a terror attack, reflecting deep anger over crackdowns, disqualifications and the treatment of Khan and his allies since the party was ousted from power in 2022.

The government’s wider campaign against overseas critics

The demarche over Bradford fits into a wider push by the government to rein in overseas critics who target Pakistan’s state institutions from abroad. Earlier this month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said authorities would seek the repatriation of Pakistanis in Britain, including YouTubers and former government officials, accused of campaigning against the military and other state bodies. He has publicly warned that “the state will not spare” those who cross certain lines.

In a meeting with the British High Commissioner earlier in December, Naqvi handed over extradition papers to former aide to Prime Minister Shahzad Akbar and commentator Adil Raja, accusing them of spreading “anti-Pakistan propaganda” online – a sign that Islamabad is increasingly ready to use legal and diplomatic tools against voices it sees as a threat to national security.

Thin line between protest and ‘incitement’

For Britain, the case tests how far political speech from diaspora communities can go before triggering criminal investigation. Under UK law, protests and even harsh criticism of foreign governments are broadly protected, but explicit threats of violence or glorification of terrorism may fall foul of anti-terror laws. Whether British police decide that the Bradford remarks meet this threshold is likely to depend on how they assess the intent, context and wider pattern of messages highlighted by Pakistan.

For PTI, the deleted post underscores the risk of social media mobilization that relies on raw, unfiltered footage of emotional gatherings. PTI UK is now trying to balance a frustrated support base eager to confront the military’s role in Pakistani politics with the need to reassure both British and Pakistani authorities that it does not support violence.