Islamabad: Following a demarche issued to the British Deputy Head of Mission over protests outside the Pakistani consulate in the city of Bradford, the British High Commission has asked the Pakistani government to provide evidence related to the alleged crime.
Responding to the Pakistani demarche, a spokesperson for the British High Commission said that police and prosecution services in the United Kingdom operate independently of the government and act strictly in accordance with the law.
The spokesperson said that if a foreign government suspects that a crime has been committed on British soil, the relevant evidence should be provided to the police liaison authorities, after which British police will examine the material in line with legal procedures.
The British High Commission further stated that if material indicating a breach of law is identified, criminal investigations may be initiated, adding that every matter is handled under British law.
It is recalled that the Government of Pakistan wrote a letter to the British government demanding action against certain Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf social media accounts, alleging that videos circulating on these platforms contained threats to assassinate the Army Chief and called for action against all accounts attempting to promote terrorism, violence, and instability in Pakistan.
According to sources, these threats were made during a PTI protest in Bradford, after which the British Deputy Head of Mission was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and formally handed a demarche.
Sources said that the Government of Pakistan has taken serious notice of the threats issued from British territory and has stressed that the United Kingdom must ensure its soil is not used to destabilize Pakistan.
