Islamabad, December 26, 2025: Two ministers of state from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said on Friday that the federal government has formally written to the United Kingdom authorities, seeking legal action over what they described as “inciteful” statements circulating on social media.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry and Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani confirmed the development while speaking to the media. Kayani said the matter was particularly serious as, according to him, the video contained threats against the head of Pakistan’s armed forces.
Referring to the video, Kayani also alleged the involvement of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), explicitly naming the party. Chaudhry, however, did not name any political party during his remarks.
The video in question shows a woman making threatening remarks without naming any individual, allegedly wishing that a person be “blown up in a car”. She appears to be surrounded by individuals holding PTI flags.
Commenting on the issue, Chaudhry said Pakistan had formally approached the UK authorities and expected them to act in accordance with their laws and justice system. “Pakistan has the right to take legal action against those targeting its institutions,” he said.
He recalled that similar complaints had been raised in the past regarding the alleged use of social media platforms to incite hatred against state institutions and political figures. “The footage of the incident is available,” he added.
“This is neither a political matter nor an issue of freedom of speech,” Chaudhry said, adding that the statements constituted a clear violation of international law as well as UK law, particularly the UK’s Terrorism Act 2006.
“Every state is responsible for ensuring that its citizens, asylum seekers, or residents do not incite rebellion or violence against another sovereign state,” he stressed.
Chaudhry further said the specific reference to a car bomb made the issue more alarming. “It is not a generalised statement; it appears to be targeted and carefully planned,” he said, adding that Pakistan had conveyed these concerns to the British authorities.
“It appears there may be a larger plan involved, and Pakistan has raised these concerns,” he said, reiterating that incitement to terrorism or violence could not be justified as freedom of expression.
“You cannot have people in one state promoting terrorism against another sovereign state,” Chaudhry said, expressing hope that the British government would take action. He added that Pakistan had “other options as well” if no action was taken.
Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani described the incident as “unacceptable” and “unfortunate”. He alleged that PTI had a history of spreading violence and threats under the guise of political activity and misusing freedom of speech.
Kayani said the party had “crossed a limit” by allegedly threatening the army chief. “That is not politics; it is unacceptable,” he said, terming PTI a “national security threat”.
Referring to past incidents, he alleged that the party had used politics as a cover for violence, citing the events of May 9 and the alleged use of police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against soldiers.
Responding to a question on possible action by Pakistan, Kayani said the government would first urge the UK authorities to immediately investigate the matter and take legal action. However, he added that the government was also open to “exploring other legal options”.
