LONDON: Former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Mirza Shahzad Akbar, who has been living in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom since April 2022, was attacked at his home in Cambridge, leaving him “bruised and fractured,” it emerged on Thursday.
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Akbar confirmed the incident in text messages to Media , saying: “I have been attacked and been in the hospital and with the police. Bruised and fractured.” The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had earlier posted on X that the attack occurred in the morning on Wednesday, adding that the assailant “punched him repeatedly in the face, as a result of which his nose and jaw were fractured.” Local police have reportedly collected all details, and an investigation is underway.
This is not the first time Akbar has been targeted. In November 2023, he was attacked at his home in Hertfordshire, when a masked individual threw acidic liquid at him. Following that attack, Akbar said he would not be intimidated and linked the incident to the Al Qadir Trust case against PTI founder Imran Khan, claiming that security agencies were pressuring him to give evidence against the former prime minister.
Akbar also told media that he had received threatening messages in recent months warning him to “mend his ways or else.” He initiated legal action against the Pakistan government in a UK court in April 2024 regarding the acid attack and sent notices to the Pakistan High Commission and other officials. However, in May 2024, the UK Foreign Office rejected Akbar’s claims of state involvement as “preposterous.”
Meanwhile, an Islamabad court has declared Akbar a proclaimed offender in a case related to his controversial statements on X. Following this, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi handed over extradition papers for Akbar to UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott. Although Pakistan and the UK do not have a formal extradition treaty, there is an existing arrangement under which London can repatriate Pakistani nationals involved in crimes or violating immigration laws.
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