In a tit-for-tat response: PMLN supporters protest outside Jemima’s residence

LONDON: In a tit-for-tat response, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz supporters in the United Kingdom on Sunday held a protest outside the residence of Jemima Goldsmith, the former spouse of former Pakistani premier Imran Khan.

While PMLN workers gathered in Richmond at the residence of Jemima Goldsmith, PTI supporters assembled in Hyde Park and marched to nearby Avenfield flats – the residence of PML N supremo Nawaz in London. Both sides protested at the family homes of their opponents for about three hours and then dispersed.

The PTI had originally called for a march from Hyde Park to the American Embassy in Walsall but cancelled the plan of protest outside the US Embassy and gathered outside the nearby Avenfield flats.

Supporters of both parties gathered from all over the UK on Sunday to register their support for their leadership. PMLN supporters, while waving flags, holding banners and placards and chanting slogans in favour of their party supremo Nawaz Sharif and against Imran Khan arrived in Richmond in “retaliation” to the protests held outside the Avenfield flats by PTI supporters.

Jemima Goldsmith had expressed her anger after the protest was announced outside her home and stated that she had fears of stalking and harassment. Around 20 policemen stood outside in two vans to ensure that the protest remained peaceful.

PMLN supporter Zubair Gull said: “We were forced to stage a protest outside Jemima Goldsmith’s house to teach PTI a lesson that your homes are not sacred and will not be spared if we are targeted”. He added the party was organising the protest to highlight the corruption, nepotism and incompetence of the PTI government.

Gull said that Imran Khan’s family was living in London but he was asking sons of others to break the law and go on a rampage to “preserve his power”. PTI UK’s leader Mian Waheed-ur-Rahman said PTI was protesting against the foreign intervention in Pakistan. He said former PM Imran Khan was ousted from power through a conspiracy and his supporters will continue protesting, adding, the protests have remained peaceful.

Another PTI leader Amjad Khan said that protests were planned initially outside the US Embassy but PTI leadership from Pakistan asked PTI’s UK chapter not to go outside the US Embassy and directed the party to focus on Avenfield flats.

After PMLN-UK announced the protest, Jemima Goldsmith took to Twitter and remarked that it looked like she was back in 90s Lahore – a reference to the time when Jemima was married to Imran Khan and lived in Lahore with her in-laws.

She wrote: “Protests outside my house, targeting my children, antisemitic abuse on social media…. It’s almost like I’m back in 90s Lahore. #PuranaPakistan.” Jemima had responded to a tweet by PMLN’s Abid Sher Ali who had announced the protest.

Jemima Goldsmith has not made any political statement after the outset of Imran Khan but her brothers Zac Goldsmith, who is a UK government minister, and Ben Goldsmith have expressed support for Imran Khan, their former brother-in-law.

Last week, the British government distanced itself from Foreign Office minister Lord Zack Goldsmith after he intervened in Pakistani politics and tweeted in support for ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Downing Street was asked whether Lord Goldsmith, who is Foreign Office minister for the Pacific and the international environment, was speaking on behalf of the government.

A spokesperson responded: “With regard to Pakistan, we respect Pakistan’s democratic system and we would not get into its domestic political affairs. We have longstanding ties with Pakistan and are monitoring developments.”

Few hours after PM Imran Khan was ousted over the last weekend, supporters of the PMLN and the PTI had faced off outside Nawaz's London residence, as one group had celebrated and the other had protested Khan's ouster after a successful no-confidence vote. A heavy police contingent had stood in a chain between the two groups as they had chanted slogans against each other’s leaders. During the first protest, both sides threw water bottles at each other but the heavy police contingent stopped both sides from getting close to each other.