Threat to Asim Munir in Bradford rally exposes army, rattled Pakistan summons UK envoy

Pakistan on Friday summoned Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner, Matt Cannell, after an alleged video surfaced online showing a woman at a rally in the UK openly referring to a possible attack on Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a formal protest and demanded an investigation, claiming the remarks — made at a rally in Bradford in northern England — crossed the line from political speech into an explicit security threat. The woman spoke of Munir being killed in a car bombing, triggering alarm in Islamabad.

Threat aired at pro-Imran Khan rally

The alleged remarks were made during a rally organised in support of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The video was shared by the UK chapter of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on X before being quietly deleted.

We have removed a video from the recent Bradford protest featuring a citizen’s metaphorical remarks regarding General Asim Munir. Although we do not believe the individual incited violence, the post was deleted in an abundance of caution to prevent potential misunderstanding, and… pic.twitter.com/f9tOJdk6X5

— PTI UK (@UKPTIOfficial) December 26, 2025

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Khan, who was removed from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022, has spent the past two years in prison following a corruption conviction. Despite this, his supporters continue to mobilise aggressively against Pakistan’s military leadership, particularly Munir.

The Bradford rally came just days after a Pakistani court sentenced Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison for allegedly retaining and selling state gifts — including jewellery from Saudi Arabia — at prices below market value during his tenure.

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Islamabad cries foul, blames ‘free speech’ abroad

Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry admitted that PTI had been inciting hostility against the military but said the reference to a car-bomb attack “crossed all limits” and could not be defended as freedom of expression. He urged British authorities to initiate legal action.

London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford…..rocked with the slogans for Pakistan and Imran Khan on Tuesday 23rd December.

Overseas Pakistanis cannot be silenced. We will make sure we fight the dictator Asim Munir and his gang until their fascist regime collapses and they face… pic.twitter.com/X9y6e74x81

— PTI UK (@UKPTIOfficial) December 24, 2025

The UK High Commission in Islamabad responded cautiously, stating that if a foreign government believes a crime has occurred, it should submit evidence to UK police liaison officials. Any material appearing to breach UK law, it said, would be reviewed and could lead to a criminal investigation.

Pak tensions deepen

Tensions between PTI and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment have sharply escalated in recent weeks. On December 5, army spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry described Imran Khan as “mentally ill” during a press briefing, after posts from Khan’s official X account labelled Munir “mentally unstable”.

Many Khan supporters openly accuse Munir of orchestrating their leader’s imprisonment, deepening Pakistan’s long-running civil–military crisis.

Munir’s rise and army’s stern grip in Pak

Munir gained wider prominence earlier this year following a brief military confrontation with India. The standoff came after New Delhi launched strikes inside Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which was carried by Pakistan-backed militants.

Despite India targeting terror infrastructure deep inside the territory, Pakistan claimed a false victory, after which Munir got himself a self-promotion to the rank of field marshal — amid domestic instability and mounting international scrutiny.

Conspiracy claims and isolation

Khan has repeatedly alleged that his removal from power was part of a US-backed conspiracy supported by Pakistan’s military — claims rejected by Washington, Pakistan’s armed forces and his political rivals. The episode has further underlined Pakistan’s deep internal fractures and the army’s dominant, increasingly polarising role in politics.