ISLAMABAD: Pakistan summoned the United Kingdom’s acting high commissioner to convey a formal demarche after the government wrote to British authorities expressing concern over social media content circulating from UK territory that it said amounted to incitement to violence against the Pakistani state.
The diplomatic move comes after State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told a local news channel about the letter, which he said raised the issue of a video clip on social media purportedly showing a protester linked to former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party criticizing Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and referring to possible violence against him.
“This is not a political matter, nor is it a question of freedom of expression,” Chaudhry said while speaking to Geo TV. “This is clearly a violation of international law and of Britain’s own laws, including the British Terrorism Act 2006.”
He said the material went beyond political dissent and amounted to incitement to violence, adding that Pakistan had conveyed to British authorities that states are responsible for ensuring that individuals residing on their territory — whether citizens, asylum seekers or others — do not incite rebellion or violence against another sovereign country.
“What is very dangerous is that a very specific act — a car bombing — has been referenced,” he continued. “It has not been generalized.”
A social media post by a Britain-based journalist claimed that the video was recorded during a protest outside Pakistan’s consulate in Bradford, though neither the authenticity of the footage nor the identity of the individual could be independently verified.
The foreign office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, confirmed in response to an Arab News query that the UK’s acting envoy had been summoned, with the authorities formally expressing concern over the situation and asking British authorities to hold those responsible to account.
Chaudhry told Geo TV Pakistan’s complaint to the UK was lodged under international law, British law and United Nations principles governing relations between states, stressing that the issue was one of incitement rather than protected speech.
“This is not about freedom of expression. This is about incitement and terrorism, which is against Britain’s own laws,” he said, adding that Islamabad expects British authorities to take action.
Pakistani officials have previously voiced concerns over social media activity by PTI supporters abroad that they say fuels unrest and hostility toward state institutions.
PTI has so far not commented on the video cited by Pakistani officials.
However, a statement issued by the British High Commission on Friday evening said UK police and prosecutors operate independently of the government and that any material appearing to breach UK law would be assessed by law enforcement authorities.
“Where a foreign government believes a crime has been committed, they should provide all relevant material to their UK police liaison,” the spokesperson said. “Any material that appears to break UK law will be reviewed by the police and may lead to a criminal investigation.”
