A peaceful protest by members of the Indian diaspora outside the Pakistan High Commission in London on Friday turned into a flashpoint after a senior Pakistan Army officer was caught on video making a threatening throat-slit gesture toward demonstrators.
The video, which has since gone viral on social media, shows Colonel Taimur Rahat, Pakistan Army and Air Advisor in the High Commission, drawing his hand across his throat while staring at protestors who had gathered to condemn the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead.
More than 500 members of the Indian and Jewish communities in the UK participated in the demonstration, waving Indian flags and holding placards that called out Pakistan’s support for terror outfits. Protesters chanted slogans demanding justice and accountability, and urged the UK government to take diplomatic action.
“This is not just insensitivity—it is provocation,” said one of the protest organisers. “If Pakistan cannot condemn terror, they are complicit in it.”
Organisers also condemned the Pakistan High Commission for playing loud celebratory music during the demonstration, calling it “a tone-deaf and disgraceful act that added insult to injury.”
An Indo-Jewish protester told ANI, “We support India because we face the same enemy: Islamist radicalisation. What happened in Pahalgam reminded us of the Hamas attack on Israel.”
The Indian government has responded to the Pahalgam attack by suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari land border, and ordering Pakistani nationals to leave by May 1. Diplomatic staff strength at High Commissions on both sides is also being reduced.
