LONDON: The Pakistan government has called on British authorities to take decisive legal action against individuals involved in recent violent incidents outside the Pakistan High Commission in London, including a stone-pelting attack that occurred early Sunday morning.
In an official statement issued on Tuesday, the Pakistan High Commission condemned the latest attack, which took place at approximately 5:18am on April 27.
The assailant, identified by British police as Ankit Love, reportedly hurled stones and splashed saffron paint on the outer wall of the High Commission, shattering several windows and staining the building’s nameplate. He was apprehended shortly after the incident by the Metropolitan Police.
The High Commission linked the act of vandalism to a larger, more aggressive protest that occurred days earlier on April 25, involving members of the Indian and British Indian community.
UK minister calls for calm among diaspora communities
Protesters shouted anti-Pakistan and Islamophobic slogans, and clashed with law enforcers.
“We expect that the British law enforcement agencies would prosecute Ankit, as well as the raucous protesters detained on Friday, in accordance with the relevant British laws,” the statement said.
Expressing concern over the escalating hostility, the statement from the mission reminded the UK government of its obligations under the Vienna Convention to protect diplomatic missions. It also reiterated its demand for enhanced security at Pakistani diplomatic posts across the UK.
“This is not the first incident where the High Commission of Pakistan or our Consulates in the United Kingdom have been attacked,” the statement read.
The Pakistan High Commission confirmed it is in contact with British police to obtain further details about Ankit Love, whose nationality has not yet been disclosed.
Reuters adds: Meanwhile, UK Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer has called for calm between Indian and Pakistani communities, after lawmakers voiced concerns that tensions over the Pahalgam attack in India-held Kashmir could spill into the diaspora.
“These issues have long been discussed with passion on British streets and we call on sides, all community leaders, all involved to call for calm at a time of tension in the region,” Hamish Falconer told parliament.
Falconer appeared in parliament to answer an urgent question on the situation, where lawmakers raised concerns about media reports of ill-tempered protests outside India and Pakistan’s high commissions in London.
The British government’s long-standing position is that India and Pakistan are responsible for finding a solution to the situation in held Kashmir that takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people, he told parliament.
Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2025
