The Foreign Office on Friday announced it has issued a demarche to the United Kingdom’s envoy in Islamabad over threats levelled against Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir during a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford.
A video uploaded by the PTI’s U.K. chapter on X, a woman can be heard warning of a car bomb targeting the field marshal, likening the potential incident to the plane explosion that led to the death of Gen. Ziaul Haq in 1988. The account has since deleted the video, maintaining that while it did not perceive its contents as a genuine threat, it did not wish to endorse unlawful behavior of any kind.
In a statement, spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said U.K. Acting Head of Mission Matt Cannell—British High Commissioner Jane Marriott is currently not in Pakistan—was handed the demarche over the former ruling party’s event in British jurisdiction. “The demarche was issued after provocative statements were made against Pakistan’s civil and military leadership from British soil,” read the statement, urging the U.K. to “hold responsible elements accountable in accordance with the law.”
Ahead of issuing the demarche, Islamabad provided the video and its transcript to U.K. authorities expressing “grave concern regarding a serious and unprecedented misuse of British territory for activities that amount to incitement to terrorism, violence, and internal destabilization of a sovereign state.”
In a letter, it said PTI-linked platforms operating from the U.K. had repeatedly issued calls encouraging disorder, agitation, and violent mobilization within Pakistan. It recalled that Islamabad has repeatedly raised concerns regarding the use of U.K. territory by individuals and groups engaged in militancy, separatism, and violent agitation against Pakistan.
“While such matters have strained bilateral confidence in the past, the present incident represents a qualitative escalation: the open call for assassination combined with sustained incitement to violence and unrest inside Pakistan,” it said. “Freedom of expression does not include the freedom to incite murder or civil violence. Political activism does not extend to conspiracy or encouragement of bloodshed. Political asylum does not confer immunity to promote terrorism or destabilization abroad,” it added.
Responding to the incident, a British High Commission spokesperson said the U.K. police and prosecutors operate independently of the government. “Where a foreign government believes a crime has been committed, they should provide all relevant material to their U.K. police liaison,” they said. “Any material that appears to break U.K. law will be reviewed by the police and may lead to a criminal investigation,” it added.