The Foreign Office has said it is “investigating the matter” pertaining to the “ambush” on former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa’s vehicle by protesters in the United Kingdom (UK).
“We believe that protests should be within the bounds of decency,” said FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch while addressing a press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday.
The vehicle that the demonstrators pounced on belonged to the Pakistan High Commission, which facilitates certain individuals on moral grounds.
The FO’s statement comes a day after the ex-CJP’s car was stopped and banged upon by a group of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters on Tuesday night where he arrived to attend a prestigious event organised by The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple for his elevation as Callee after he relinquished charge as the country’s top judge.
The incident took place after PTI’s UK chapter had called for the protest — organised by Sahibzada Jahangir, Jahanzeb Khan, Zulfi Bukhari and Azhar Mashwani — outside the Middle Temple against the decision to call ex-CJP Isa to the Bench following his retirement.
Close to 80 people attended the protest but that event ended peacefully.
Around 10 activists stayed on, and later tried to stop the car, banged on it, and attempted opening the doors to get access to Isa and his wife Sarina — three hours after the main protest had ended.
As Isa’s car — bearing the Pakistan High Commission diplomatic number plate — appeared from the Temple’s exit door at around 10:20pm, PTI demonstrators led by Shayan Ali made their way to the car, tried to stop it and shouted slogans against the jurist.
