Pakistan summons UK high commissioner after ‘provocative’ Bradford demonstration
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday summoned the United Kingdom high commissioner in connection with a protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford, where “provocative” statements were made against Pakistan’s civil and military leadership.
FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that the UK high commissioner was summoned and issued a démarche.
“The demarche was issued after provocative statements were made against Pakistan’s civil and military leadership from British soil,” the FO spokesperson said.
The FO urged the UK to “hold responsible elements accountable in accordance with the law”.
Earlier, two ministers of state from the PML-N said that the Pakistan government had written a letter to the UK authorities, seeking action against over “inciteful” statements, particularly in reference to a video that was circulating on social media.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry and Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani confirmed the development.
Kayani also mentioned the opposition PTI‘s involvement in the matter, naming the party, which Chaudhry didn’t.
In the video, a woman appears to be wishing ill on a person without taking any name, saying that they should be “blown up in a car”. The woman can be seen surrounded by people holding PTI flags.
When asked about the video, Chaudhry said, “Pakistan has formally written to the UK, expecting them to act according to their laws and justice system.“
He maintained that Pakistan had the right to take legal action against those “targeting its institutions”.
Chaudhry recalled that there had been complaints before as well regarding the “use of social media platforms to incite hatred against state institutions and political figures”.
“The footage of the incident is available,” he added, referring to the video being discussed.
He added, “This is not a political matter, nor one pertaining to the freedom of speech.” It was a clear violation of international law and the UK law, he said, particularly mentioning the UK’s Terrorism Act 2006.
“Every state is responsible for ensuring its citizens, or those who have taken asylum, or those residing there, don’t act to incite rebellion or violence against other sovereign states,” he stressed.
Chaudhry further noted: “What’s concerning is the specific mention of a car bomb blast, making it a targeted issue; it is not something generalised, it seems to be carefully planned.“
“Pakistan has raised these concerns,” he said.
“It appears as if there is a larger plan involved, and Pakistan has raised these concerns,” Chaudhry said.
He maintained that “inciting terrorism or provoking people was not akin to freedom of expression”.
“You cannot have people in one state promoting terrorism against another sovereign state,” he reiterated.
He hoped that the British government would take action, adding that in case of non-compliance, “Pakistan has other options as well“.
Minister of State for Finance Kayani termed the incident shown in the video “unacceptable” and “unfortunate”. “We have repeatedly said that PTI spreads violence and threats under the guise of politics, justifies threats, and misuses freedom of speech,” Kayani said. Staff Report
