Former special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) Mirza Shahzad Akbar was assaulted in the United Kingdom, where he has been living in self-imposed exile since April 2022, according to information that emerged on Thursday.
The attack reportedly left him with multiple injuries, including bruises and fractures.
In a statement issued at 9:50pm on Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that Akbar was attacked earlier that morning at his residence in Cambridge.
According to the party, the assailant repeatedly punched him in the face, resulting in fractures to his nose and jaw. The statement added that local police have collected relevant details and have launched an investigation into the incident.
Akbar, who served as the accountability adviser during the PTI government, had previously been targeted in November 2023 at his home in Hertfordshire.
At that time, a masked assailant reportedly threw an acidic substance at him. Akbar shared details of the incident on X, stating, “I will not be intimidated nor bow down to those who are doing this”.
He had connected that attack to the Al Qadir Trust case involving PTI founder Imran Khan, claiming that security agencies were pressuring him to testify against the former prime minister.
In April 2024, Akbar filed a case in a UK court against the government of Pakistan over the acid attack. He also told media that he had issued legal notices to the Pakistan High Commission in the UK as well as other Pakistani officials.
However, in May 2024, Pakistan’s Foreign Office strongly dismissed what it described as “preposterous” allegations by Akbar regarding the involvement of state officials in the 2023 acid attack.
Separately, an Islamabad court has declared Akbar a proclaimed offender in a case linked to allegedly controversial statements posted on X. Following this, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott and formally handed over extradition documents related to Akbar.
Although Pakistan and the United Kingdom do not have a formal extradition treaty, an existing agreement allows British authorities to deport Pakistani nationals involved in criminal activity or immigration violations.
Source: Dunya News
