London/Islamabad, A group of supporters of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party held a protest outside the London residence of ailing former PM Nawaz Sharif and called for his death by shooting.
According to a report in The News, a group of PTI supporters held a protest outside Avenfield flats in London on Sunday. Sharif, who is in the UK for treatment, is living in the third floor of the Avenfield flats.
One protester called loudly for Sharif’s death by shooting while another called for Taliban-style bombing of the Avengield apartment.
A group of protesters attempted to break down the main gate.
Around 40 protestors, led by Tariq Mehmood, who runs a group called ‘Pakistan Patriotic Front’, raised slogans in support of PTI and many were wearing PTI caps.
However, PTI’s elected body issued a statement distancing itself from the protest.
One protester can be heard shouting in the video “some one shoot him” in reference to Nawaz Sharif.
Another protestor was carrying a poster that read “We cannot wait for the law”, “Avenfield belongs to us to keep”, “Imran Khan is our pride” and “Long live PTI”.
Another protestor called for Taliban-style bombing of the Avenfield apartments and said that casualties in such bombings are normal. One speaker used threatening language for Asif Saeed Khosa, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the daily reported.
Video footage shows at least three protesters banging the front gate in order to break it down, while two protesters entered inside the gate from a side entrance and were asked by the police to leave.
Ahead of the violent protest on Sunday, Tariq Mehmood (also known as Chaduhry Tariq) issued a call asking for the occupation of Avenfield House through violence.
He said in a viral audio message: “It’s our duty to occupy property of these people. This is our right. This property belongs to the people of Pakistan. We are monitoring the whole situation and if needed, we will move in.
“We will move into the Avenfield house in the same way that property of Libyan leader Qaddafi was occupied and the British government took no action against them because the it thought these properties were made with the looted money. For us to occupy these properties, it’s our right because this money belongs to Pakistan.”
Ahead of Nawaz Sharif’s arrival, elected senior official of PTI in UK Soraya Aziz had issued a similar call for violence on Twitter. Soraya Aziz, who is Head of Computing at the Beths Grammar School in Bexley, Kent, said: “For his own safety, I strongly recommend Nawaz Sharif not leave his Avenfield Apartments. If he’s seen shopping in Knightsbridge, overseas Pakistanis will give him response even his few remaining platelets won’t know where to hide!!”
Taqveem Ahsan Siddiqui, in a statement issued earlier on Sunday said: “The PTI has not called for any demonstration outside disqualified Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s residence”.
Siddiqui said: “It has been brought to our attention that an invite to demonstrate outside his residence is in circulation. The PTI UK does not have any intention to call or join any demonstration outside Nawaz Sharif’s residence until he abides by his bail condition.”
