On Friday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally summoned Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner, Matt Cannell, to lodge a protest over a video that went viral online showing a woman at a protest in the United Kingdom referring to a possible attack on Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir.  

Officials said the video was widely shared on social media and seen by people inside Pakistan. In that clip, a woman speaking at a rally in Bradford, northern England, mentioned the possibility of the army chief being killed in a car bombing. The foreign office described the comments as crossing a serious line and demanded the British authorities investigate the matter thoroughly.  

Pakistan’s government said the remarks were more than normal political speech and raised grave security concerns because they mentioned violence against a senior military leader.  

The protest was held by supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He was removed from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and has been in prison for nearly two years in connection with a corruption case. Many of his supporters living in the UK attended the Bradford rally.  

The video clip was initially shared by the UK chapter of Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on its official account on X (formerly Twitter). Later, the UK PTI account deleted the post. In a message on X, the UK PTI said they had removed the video “featured a citizen’s metaphorical remarks regarding General Asim Munir.” The account also wrote that “we do not believe the individual incited violence, the post was deleted in an abundance of caution to prevent potential misunderstanding and legal safeguarding of the individual and her rights.”  

Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry spoke about the case and said the woman’s statements had crossed a serious boundary. He told Geo Television: “While Imran Khan’s party has been inciting supporters against the military, the car bomb threat at the Bradford rally crossed all limits.”  

Chaudhry added that the remarks “do not fall into the category of freedom of speech.” He urged the UK government to investigate the incident and take legal action if any laws were broken.  

Responding to Pakistan’s concerns, the UK High Commission in Islamabad released a brief statement that did not directly comment on the protest or the nature of the remarks made in the video. Instead, the statement said,“Where a foreign Government believes a crime has been committed, they should provide all relevant material to their UK police liaison. Any material that appears to break UK law will be reviewed by the police and may lead to a criminal investigation.”  

Pakistan’s diplomatic action came at a time when tensions between Khan’s supporters and the powerful Pakistani military have been growing. Earlier in December, the army’s spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, described Imran Khan as “mentally ill” during a press conference. This followed comments by Khan’s official X account that had referred to General Munir as “mentally unstable,” according to reports by the Associated Press.  

In addition to protesting about the viral video and the alleged threat against General Munir, the situation escalated further with news of an attack on a former Imran Khan aide in the UK. 

Separately, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf said Shahzad Akbar, a former adviser to Imran Khan, was violently attacked in Cambridge, United Kingdom on Thursday, according to tweets from the party. Akbar said the incident happened outside his home early in the morning when a man asked him if he was Shahzad Akbar and then began beating him. He reported that the attack left him with facial injuries including a fractured nose and bruises.  

Akbar wrote on social media that the police have “taken cognisance of the matter” and are investigating the attack. He said the police had assured both him and his family that they were actively looking for the attacker and anyone else involved.  

The former aide also said he could not share more details of the incident yet, including CCTV footage, because he had been advised not to by authorities. However, he expressed confidence in the British legal system, writing: “I have full faith in the rule of law and in British law enforcement to carry out their duties.”  

In a later statement after the attack, Akbar made it clear that the violence would not silence him. He said: “I want to make one thing absolutely clear: If my views, political comments, or even my ‘face’ is not liked by anyone, such cowardly acts will only strengthen my resolve rather than silence me,” adding, “Violence will not intimidate me or deter me from speaking out.”  

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded explanations and action from British authorities not only regarding the viral video but also about the security and safety of political activists abroad. Officials said that the video’s spread had caused serious concerns because it seemed to encourage violent actions against a key military institution of Pakistan.  

The diplomatic protest to the UK came at a sensitive time politically in Pakistan, as supporters of Imran Khan have repeatedly clashed with state institutions, including the military leadership. Pakistan’s foreign office said it expects the UK government to take strict action based on its own laws if it finds that any laws were broken by those involved in the protest video.