Mob attempts to attack Nawaz Sharif's flat in London; PTI condemns incident, denies involvement of its workers

London: Angry protesters attempted to attack the Avenfield apartments of the Sharif family on Sunday night, days after a Pakistani court sentenced ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif to seven years in jail in the Avenfield properties corruption case, a media report said today. The mob attempted to break the doors to the apartment of Sharif and his son, Hussain Nawaz. “One protester threw a shopping cart at a member of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz’s UK chapter,” Geo News reported citing British authorities. [caption id=“attachment_4315819” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Nawaz Sharif. Reuters[/caption] Soon after, the Metropolitan Police reached the site of the protest near Avenfield House, a luxury housing scheme, and commenced a search of the nearby vehicles. UK police said they have reports of protesters possessing weapons, especially knives, and that an investigation was currently underway. They said that no arrests have been made as yet, adding that legal action will be initiated over the destruction to private property. The British chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) condemned the attack and said there was no truth in the accusation that the party’s workers were behind the incident. “We are not associated in any way with the attack on Hussain Nawaz’s residence or the related protest,” the party’s UK spokesperson said. “The party demands action be taken against the suspects,” he added. A local court gave 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to 68-year-old Sharif in the Avenfield apartment case previous week. The Sharif family owns four flats in London’s posh locality. Three cases were filed against Sharif and his family in September 2017 following his disqualification by the Supreme Court on 28 July, 2017 in the Panama Papers case. His two sons - Hassan and Hussain - are also co-accused in all the three cases but never appeared in the court and were declared as absconders.