Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a special assistant to the prime minister during the tenure of Imran Khan, was attacked at his home in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, leaving him with a fractured nose.
Akbar has been living in the U.K. since April 2022, when he left Pakistan after Khan was ousted as prime minister through a vote of no-confidence. The official X account of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) initially shared reports of his assault.
“The attacker punched him repeatedly in the face, as a result of which his nose and jaw were fractured,” it said. “Local police have collected all details, and an investigation is underway,” it added.
Akbar confirmed the incident in a separate post on his personal X account. “Yesterday at approximately 8:08 a.m., I was attacked at my home by an unknown assailant dressed in what appeared to be construction or waste-collection attire,” he wrote on Thursday.
“The individual asked, ‘Are you Shahzad Akbar?’ and immediately began assaulting me. The incident occurred in the presence of my family,” he alleged, adding emergency services had taken him to hospital where he received medical treatment and was subsequently discharged.
“I sustained facial injuries, including bruising and a fractured nose,” he said. “The police have taken cognizance of the matter and have assured me and my family that they are actively investigating this targeted attack and will work to apprehend both the perpetrator and those behind it,” he added.
He claimed police had urged him against sharing any further details, including CCTV footage of photographs of his injuries “as doing so may compromise the ongoing investigation.” He called on the U.K. government to ensure England remained “a safe place for everyone, including dissidents such as myself.”
Such “cowardly” acts, he continued, would only strengthen his resolve rather than silence him. “Violence will not intimidate me or deter me from speaking out. I will continue to expose corruption, human rights violations, and the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan,” he said, adding any pictures of his alleged injuries were fake.
This is the second time Akbar has been attacked while in the U.K. In November 2023, he alleged a masked individual had flung acidic liquid on him and had accused Pakistan’s security agencies of being responsible.
Earlier this year, a court in Islamabad declared him a proclaimed offender for not becoming party to a probe into alleged controversial statements on his X account. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has sought his extradition during a meeting with United Kingdom High Commissioner Jane Marriott.