Imran fans flood Hyde Park; Scotland Yard bans protests

The noisy politics of Pakistan, which has clearly made its way into the UK, and is now evident in ample measure following the arrest of Imran Khan, is poised to get belligerent.

London: Imran Khan’s dramatic arrest in Pakistan on Tuesday has had a cascading effect on the streets of London, such that the Scotland Yard has had to put in place a temporary two-day ban on gatherings outside the Hyde Park-overlooking Avenfield House, where Khan’s rival and former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resides.

“We are concerned about the developments in Pakistan and fear for Imran Khan’s life. He is fighting against the hold of all kinds of mafia in Pakistani society. Thousands of British-Pakistanis from different walks of life have come out to raise their voice against this injustice in the UK. Hundreds of workers have been arrested in different parts of Pakistan for no reason,” said Rana Hamid Afzal, secretary general, PTI UK in a conversation with HT. (REUTERS)

They were compelled to take the step after hundreds of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) supporters thronged the posh Central London address, and allegedly remained present well past the deadline on Tuesday evening. Demonstrations have also been organised outside the Pakistan high commission in London by the party workers, reflecting the deep divide in Pakistani society that experts fear has penetrated even institutions like the Police and Army.

The noisy politics of Pakistan, which has clearly made its way into the UK, and is now evident in ample measure following the arrest of Imran Khan, is poised to get belligerent. Over the next few days, more protests are expected in London and other parts of the UK, where over 1.5 million British Pakistanis are based. “Imran tere jaanisaar, beshumaar beshumaar” (Imran your innumerable fans are willing to die for you), and other slogans were heard outside the Pakistan high commission by marching demonstrators on Tuesday.

“We are concerned about the developments in Pakistan and fear for Imran Khan’s life. He is fighting against the hold of all kinds of mafia in Pakistani society. Thousands of British-Pakistanis from different walks of life have come out to raise their voice against this injustice in the UK. Hundreds of workers have been arrested in different parts of Pakistan for no reason,” said Rana Hamid Afzal, secretary general, PTI UK in a conversation with HT.

Afzal has not taken kindly to the ban imposed by Scotland Yard to protest outside Avenfield House, where Nawaz Sharif has lived while in London since 1993. The mansion was built after knocking down four luxury flats. Sharif has now been living in London since 2019, after a Pakistani court granted him bail on medical grounds.

The ugly flare-ups by supporters of Khan and Sharif outside Avenfield House has inconvenienced the posh and wealthy neighbours, some of whom have openly shown their disdain. It is an familiar spectacle for them, and on a few occasions neighbours have come out of their homes asking the political activists, who try to outshout each other, to move out of the area. Scotland Yard officers regularly rush to the spot and play intermediaries. They have in the past detained people to ensure peace. One resident of Dunraven Street, which adjoins Avenfield House, who did not wish to be named, said they fear heavier protests in the near future, following Khan’s arrest.

In April 2022, supporters of Nawaz Sharif held a huge protest outside the London home of Jemima Goldsmith Khan, Imran Khan’s former wife. At the time, Jemima had said that she was reminded of the Lahore of 1990s. Sharif’s supporters who had gathered outside her residence had said that she should hold Imran Khan responsible for the gathering, which they said was organised as a response to the inconvenience that Sharif’s family has to face in Avenfield House. In March 2023, there was a break-in attempt at Jemima’s house following which she approached the police.

Jemima has been vocal in her support of Imran Khan, even years after the couple split, and the former playboy cricketer had remarried in Pakistan.

Khan’s arrest also found an echo in the British Parliament. During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Question in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Rehman Chisti, who holds dual citizenship of UK and Pakistan, raised the issue of Khan’s arrest and asked Rishi Sunak what steps the UK would take. “The UK has a long standing and close relationship with Pakistan. The arrest of the former prime minister is an internal matter for Pakistan. We support peaceful democratic processes and adherence to the rule of law. We are monitoring the situation carefully,” replied Sunak.