The UK chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) issued a strong condemnation late Saturday night after videos surfaced of Justice Athar Minallah of the Supreme Court being heckled on the streets of London.
PTI UK clarified that the individuals involved in the incident did not represent the party.
Justice Minallah, a guest at the ‘Future of Pakistan Conference’ at the London School of Economics, faced harassment as he was escorted to a car by a group of people.
The condemnation was prompted by widely circulated videos showing Justice Minallah being heckled and harassed as he made his way through the London streets. The hecklers, chanting slogans in support of PTI and against the army, created a chaotic scene.
In response to the incident, PTI UK’s official account shared a statement by Jahanzeb Khan, the senior vice president of the party’s chapter. The post was also endorsed by the official PTI account and PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan.
“PTI UK strongly condemns the treatment meted out towards honourable Justice Athar Minallah. Those individuals who did it do not represent the PTI, nor does PTI UK endorse any such behaviour,” stated the party’s chapter.
Jahanzeb Khan, in his statement, raised concerns about individuals referred to as ‘PTI supporters’ and accused certain journalists sympathetic to the PML-N in London of collaborating with N League journalists.
“It has come to our attention that there are some notorious individuals who are often referred to as ‘PTI supporters’ by certain journalists sympathetic to the N league in London.”
“These journalists deliberately orchestrate situations involving these individuals to create commotion whenever any government official from Pakistan visits London,” he said.
PTI’s Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra expressed that there was “absolutely no justification for the heckling of Justice Athar Minallah in London” and urged an end to such behaviour.
It may be mentioned here that last August, PTI supporters pursued Judge Humayun Dilawar during a judicial training course at the University of Hull.
In September 2022, then-information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb faced heckling in London by people wearing PTI colours, as captured in widely shared videos on social media.
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