London Police probe knife threat against Khawaja Asif

LONDON: The Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif has asserted that he was harassed and threatened with a knife attack for around 10 minutes while travelling on the London train bound for Heathrow Airport.

The Federal Minister for Defence told this reporter in an interview: “Only a short clip has been uploaded. There is only one threat of a knife attack in that clip. The person filming and harassing me made a video for about 10 minutes. In that, he threatened me with the knife attack at least four times.”

Khawaja Asif said he has filed a formal complaint with the Metropolitan police after the incident near Heathrow Airport. He said: “The Police met me at the High Commission and assured me they will fully investigate the matter. The good thing is the whole incident was recorded by a camera installed in the train section where I was boarded with my cousin. We had taken the train from Bond Street to Reading, got on to the Heathrow train in the mix up and got for the Reading train where the film ends. The verbal assault lasted for nearly 10 minutes. I don’t usually hold myself back verbally and physically but I showed restraint on this occasion, Alhamdulillah.” He said he had no doubt the person threatening him was from the PTI and that the video was made viral by a PTI-affiliated account. However, PTI has denied any responsibility and its several key figures have condemned the threat.

Asif said he was happy with the response of the police and hoped the person would be brought to justice soon. “I have been coming to London since 1980. I have never faced anything like this before. Slogans have been raised at me. This is normal in politics and being public figures we expect this but I have never been threatened with a knife before in my life. The defence minister he is not scared at all and will continue walking around London, alone. He said: “I don’t take security in Pakistan and anywhere else. I walk in London for at least eight kilometres daily. I am not intimidated. I will carry on saying what I say and believing in what I do.”

The London Transport Police has confirmed they are investigating the matter after the footage was passed to the police even before the four officers visited the Pakistan High Commission on Thursday afternoon to meet Khawaja Asif. The incident, which occurred on the Elizabeth Line around 3:30pm on Monday, saw a group of three to four individuals approach Asif and harass him while he was on his way to Reading on Elizabeth Line. Only one man is heard in the video making references to ‘attack with a blade’. The defence minister expressed his dismay over the incident, calling it shameful and regrettable, as it adds to a troubling trend of harassment faced by Pakistani officials and political figures in the UK. The most recent example of such harassment involved former Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, whose vehicle was attacked by a group of PTI supporters in London last month. Similarly, Judge Humayun Dilawar, who sentenced PTI founder Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, was also chased by PTI supporters in August, 2023.