The United Kingdom chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has removed a social media post from X after it featured a video containing provocative and threatening remarks against Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir during a protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford.
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In a clarification issued on X, PTI UK said it does not endorse unlawful actions and advised “independent citizens” to measure their remarks to avoid misunderstandings. The party said the video was deleted as a precautionary measure to prevent misinterpretation and to ensure legal protection for the individual involved.
The clarification followed confirmation by Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi that Pakistan had issued a formal demarche to the United Kingdom over the incident. According to officials, the UK’s Acting Head of Mission, Matt Cannell, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after threats were made against the country’s top military leadership during the protest.
The video, uploaded earlier by the “UKPTIOFFICIAL” account, showed a woman speaker making remarks that were interpreted as a violent threat against Field Marshal Munir, drawing comparisons to the 1988 plane crash that killed former president General Zia-ul-Haq.
PTI UK maintained that while public frustration was high due to the prolonged detention of party founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Khan, the party remained committed to non-violence and the rule of law. It said concerns over their health and treatment were genuine but did not justify unlawful behaviour.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the government had taken serious notice of the incident and urged British authorities not to allow their territory to be used for activities that could destabilise Pakistan. Officials stated that the video and its transcript had been formally shared with UK authorities in Islamabad and London.
According to sources, the demarche described the incident as a serious misuse of British soil, amounting to incitement to violence and terrorism. The communication stressed that freedom of expression does not extend to calls for assassination or civil unrest.
A spokesperson for the British High Commission said UK police and prosecutors operate independently and that any material believed to violate British law would be reviewed and could lead to a criminal investigation.
