Khawaja Asif files police complaint in London over harassment, knife attack threat

LONDON: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has filed a complaint with London police a day after he was harassed and threatened with knife attack while travelling on the London Underground’s Elizabeth Line.

The PML-N leader met the local police officials at the Pakistan High Commission in London, where he arrived to file the report.

He informed the police about the knife attack threat and the harassment he faced while traveling on train in the British capital.

The London Transport Police is investigating the matter, according to state-run APP.

On the occasion, Asif said the unfortunate incident occurred on November 11, 2024, around 3:30pm on the Elizabeth Line.

“I am in London on a private visit with a relative, and I was traveling to Reading via the Elizabeth Line,” he added.

He told that a group of three to four individuals harassed him on the train, filmed him without permission, used abusive language, and threatened him with a knife.

The minister said he did not recognise any of the individuals involved in the incident.

The London Transport Police should use the CCTV footage to trace the individuals involved, the defence minister added.

He added that such despicable incidents of threats and harassment were not only shameful but also regrettable for the 1.7 million British-Pakistani citizens residing in the UK.

A day earlier, Geo News reported exclusively that the defence czar was threatened with a knife attack while he was travelling with a friend on the London Underground’s Elizabeth Line on Monday afternoon.

This is not the first time that Pakistani officials or political leaders have been harassed and heckled in the British capital.

Recently, former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa’s vehicle was attacked by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters in London's Middle Temple.

Former CJP Isa's car was stopped and banged upon by a group of PTI protesters last month when he arrived to attend a prestigious event organised by The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple for his elevation as Callee after he relinquished charge as the country's top judge.

Likewise in August 2023, Judge Humayun Dilawar — who sentenced PTI founder Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case — was chased by PTI supporters as he undertook a judicial training course with other judges at the University of Hull.

In similar incidents, PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurangzeb and Hina Pervaiz Butt were also harassed and heckled by people, associated with PTI, in London.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif meets London police at Pakistan High Commission in London, UK, November 14, 2024. — APP