Scotland Yard is probing a string of highly targeted attacks on two prominent Pakistani dissidents living in the UK, with experts warning that states may be using criminal proxies to silence their critics.
The assaults began on Christmas Eve and took place at the homes of Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a human rights lawyer who was a former member of Imran Khan's cabinet and a vocal critic of Pakistan's current regime, and another individual. The attacks were marked by violence, including vandalism and gunfire, with one victim reporting that his attackers appeared to be fair-skinned or wearing masks.
Akbar recounted the Christmas Eve assault in which he claimed a masked man punched him repeatedly on the face before being ejected from his home. Just six minutes later, another attack occurred at Akbar's residence, with a firearm used to shatter the front window and three shots fired into it. Another assailant attempted to set the house ablaze.
The attacks continued in January, with Akbar reporting that chemicals were sprayed on the exterior of his home and windows broken with an iron bar. Police say racist graffiti was also sprayed at the site.
Akbar fears he was targeted because of his politics, stating that as a Pakistani dissident living in exile, he is an open critic of Pakistan's current regime backed by the military. The human rights group Reprieve has stated that the government should publicly condemn these attacks and make clear that there is no space for violent intimidation on UK soil.
The investigation into the attacks has been taken over by counter-terrorism officers from Scotland Yard, who are warning of an increase in such attacks carried out by criminal proxies acting on behalf of states like Russia, Iran, and China. This marks a new development as Pakistan has not previously featured in such investigations, nor have they involved the use of firearms.
One person has been arrested in connection with the December attack, while police retain an open mind as to any potential motivation behind all three incidents and whether they are directly linked.
The assaults began on Christmas Eve and took place at the homes of Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a human rights lawyer who was a former member of Imran Khan's cabinet and a vocal critic of Pakistan's current regime, and another individual. The attacks were marked by violence, including vandalism and gunfire, with one victim reporting that his attackers appeared to be fair-skinned or wearing masks.
Akbar recounted the Christmas Eve assault in which he claimed a masked man punched him repeatedly on the face before being ejected from his home. Just six minutes later, another attack occurred at Akbar's residence, with a firearm used to shatter the front window and three shots fired into it. Another assailant attempted to set the house ablaze.
The attacks continued in January, with Akbar reporting that chemicals were sprayed on the exterior of his home and windows broken with an iron bar. Police say racist graffiti was also sprayed at the site.
Akbar fears he was targeted because of his politics, stating that as a Pakistani dissident living in exile, he is an open critic of Pakistan's current regime backed by the military. The human rights group Reprieve has stated that the government should publicly condemn these attacks and make clear that there is no space for violent intimidation on UK soil.
The investigation into the attacks has been taken over by counter-terrorism officers from Scotland Yard, who are warning of an increase in such attacks carried out by criminal proxies acting on behalf of states like Russia, Iran, and China. This marks a new development as Pakistan has not previously featured in such investigations, nor have they involved the use of firearms.
One person has been arrested in connection with the December attack, while police retain an open mind as to any potential motivation behind all three incidents and whether they are directly linked.
this is getting scary for Pakistani dissidents living in exile, no wonder experts say states may be using criminal proxies to silence their critics 
Scotland Yard should hurry up with the investigation so these guys can feel safe again 
this is super disturbing news 
... seems like these ppl r being targeted for speaking out against their own governments 
... states using proxies 2 silence critics, its so scary 
... Akbar's situation is especially crazy, being punched & shot at his own home 
... gotta hope authorities catch the people behind this & bring 'em 2 justice 
... and Reprieve is totally right 2 call out the govts involved 4 condemn these attacks 
just reading about these attacks on Mirza Shahzad Akbar and it's really disturbing... seems like he's not alone being targeted by people trying to silence him. These proxy attacks by states can be super scary, especially for someone who's already living in exile. I'm not surprised Russia or Iran are involved, they're always using underhanded tactics like this. Can't say I blame the Reprieve group for wanting the UK government to condemn these attacks, it's clear that there's a serious threat to public safety here... 
. I mean, who gets attacked like 3 times in a row by masked people trying to intimidate them? It's not cool at all 
. These ppl need protection ASAP 
. The fact that it's happening because of their politics and they're living in exile is just so messed up 
. I feel for Mirza Shahzad Akbar, he's a human rights lawyer who was even part of Imran Khan's cabinet! What a horrible thing to do to someone who's just trying to make a difference 
.
. The UK needs to take this seriously and step up its game to protect people like Akbar who are just trying to speak out against injustice 
.
. And yeah, Reprieve's right - the government should be calling out these violent acts and making it clear that there's no place for intimidation in the UK 
, and it's crazy how targeted they were 
. I mean, you got a human rights lawyer who spoke out against Pakistan's current regime, and suddenly he's under attack 
. And it's not just the attacks themselves, but also the fact that the police are now saying that states like Russia, Iran, and China might be involved 
. And did you know that 75% of online hate speech targeting Pakistanis is spread by just 10% of users 
. Like, in 2022 alone, there were over 1,000 cases of extrajudicial killings worldwide 
. So yeah, this whole situation is pretty concerning 
.