Imran Khan’s former advisor sues Pakistan govt in UK over acid attack

A former Pakistani minister and a close aide of former PM Imran Khan has launched a legal fight against Islamabad after an acid attack left him “scarred for life” in the UK. The acid attack took place in November last year as Shahzad Akbar opened his door to a caller at his home in England’s Royston town. He was lucky enough to not lose his eyesight, something he owes to wearing glasses and slamming the door shut in time. Akbar has sought refuge in Britain after he led efforts to shore up his former boss at home, who was toppled from power two years ago.

Shahzad Akbar alleges that Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI was behind the acid attack.

He was rushed to hospital and treated for burns on his head and one arm. He was quoted by news agency The Independent as saying, “The physical wounds have healed. The psychological ones go deeper.”

“They were trying to send me a message: that I am not safe. This time, they weren’t trying to kill me, but were making it clear they could,” he added.

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On Monday (Apr 29), he dispatched a 15-page letter to the Pakistan High Commission in London. The document names several Pakistani officials as being responsible for the attack.

Akbar served as an advisor to Imran Khan for at least three months before the now-jailed politician was ousted.

A press statement released by the law firm representing Shahzad Akbar read, “Realising that the issue was systematic and that he could not fix the rampant corruption in Pakistan, he resigned from Khan’s government in January 2022.”

“Shortly after Khan was ousted, Shahzad was placed on a no-fly list. His name was removed from the list after he was successful in a court challenge. On 17 April 2022, he fled to London via Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to avoid being targeted by Pakistan and/or its agents,” it states.

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“In December 2022, Shahzad settled in the UK and took on an in-house lawyer position with a UK company based in London. He claims that the government of Pakistan has continued to target him through acts of transnational repression,” it further adds.

Before the attack, in October 2023, the former minister also claimed that the Pakistan High Commission in London was tracking his movement and tracing his house address.

Pakistan is notorious for attacking anti-establishment elements abroad. According to Akbar, several activists have been targeted by the Pakistani government, including Ahmad Waqas Goraya, Gul Bukhari, Fazal Khan and Arshad Sharif.

(With inputs from agencies)