MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) chapter of the Peoples Party on Sunday demanded of the British government to investigate what it believed was a conspiracy to stop the participation of its chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a rally aimed at attracting international attention towards the Kashmir issue.

On Saturday, the West Midlands police told organisers of a meeting at Birmingham’s Bingley Hall that the young PPP chairman could not be allowed to attend the event due to serious security concerns.

The rally was organised by AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed apparently to pacify Mr Bilawal who was heckled by some participants of the Oct 26 ‘Kashmir Million March’ in London, eventually forcing him to abandon his speech and leave the venue. In order to make the meeting a success, Mr Majeed had gone himself to the UK along with several members of his cabinet, including senior minister Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin.

The leaders campaigned day and night to draw people to the rally but got a jolt on Saturday when the police took control of the venue due to the security concerns. Resultantly, Mr Bilawal and Mr Majeed were unable to attend and address the meeting.

“In a country regarded as the most democratic nation, such an action on the part of police is extremely condemnable,” said AJK’s acting Prime Minister Chaudhry Latif Akbar at a press conference here.

“The police action seems to have been taken at the behest of the Indian lobby. However, we demand of the UK government to investigate the matter to unearth the actual motives behind the police warnings,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2014