Pakistan has expressed serious concern over what it described as an inflammatory speech and death threats against the country’s top military leadership made during a protest in the United Kingdom, and has called on British authorities to investigate the incident and take appropriate action, security sources said on Friday. Allegedly a participant was openly threatening Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
According to the sources, a video circulated on December 23 from the official X (formerly Twitter) account of PTI UK allegedly shows demonstrators standing in the UK making violent threats against Pakistan’s field marshal. The footage, which later spread widely on social media, prompted strong reactions from Pakistani officials and analysts.
Security officials said the language used in the video goes beyond the bounds of free expression and amounts to incitement to violence and terrorism. They stressed that Pakistan considers such threats unacceptable and dangerous, particularly when made on foreign soil and amplified through organised social media platforms.
Pakistan has formally urged the United Kingdom to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and to take action against those involved in issuing threats and promoting violence. Officials said the matter tests Britain’s commitment to international law and responsible state conduct, especially in dealing with extremist and inflammatory activities within its jurisdiction.
Experts warn of incitement, not free speech
Legal and security experts have also weighed in, saying that threatening rhetoric and calls for violence cannot be justified under the guise of freedom of expression. They noted that issuing death threats from abroad constitutes a clear violation of international norms and laws governing public order and security.
Analysts further alleged that PTI-affiliated social media networks and so-called “trolls” amplified the threatening video by sharing it from official party-linked accounts, giving it wider reach and legitimacy. This, they said, reflects a deliberate strategy to advance a political agenda hostile to Pakistan while disregarding international legal obligations.
Some experts also claimed that PTI-linked YouTubers based in the UK were using British territory to promote what they described as an anti-military narrative, allegedly at the behest of disruptive elements. Such actions, they warned, risk damaging Pakistan’s image abroad and straining diplomatic norms.
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