LONDON: Former special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) Mirza Shahzad Akbar has alleged that his residence in the United Kingdom, where he is living in self-imposed exile, was targeted in a “deliberate and planned criminal attack” aimed at causing serious harm.
The incident occurred days after Akbar said he suffered facial injuries, including a fractured nose, in an assault at his home.
In a post on X on Thursday, Akbar said his house in Cambridgeshire, England, was attacked on December 31, 2025. He claimed the assailants damaged the property and attempted to set it on fire, placing lives at immediate risk.
According to Akbar, this was the second targeted attack within a week against him and his family. He stressed that the incidents were not isolated.
Recalling an earlier assault on December 24, Akbar said he was physically attacked in what he described as a targeted incident that left him with significant injuries.
He added that UK authorities were investigating both cases and treating them as targeted attacks.
“The UK has a legal and moral obligation to ensure it remains a safe country, particularly for political dissidents and individuals at risk of persecution,” Akbar said.
Dawn has contacted the Metropolitan Police for further details.
Akbar, who served as the accountability adviser during the PTI government, had said last week that an unknown assailant dressed in construction or waste-collection attire attacked him at his residence in Cambridge.
“The individual asked, ‘Are you Shahzad Akbar?’ before launching the assault,” he wrote on X, adding that he sustained facial injuries, including a fractured nose.
Terming the attack “cowardly,” Akbar urged British authorities to ensure the safety of political dissidents. He also vowed to continue speaking out against what he described as corruption, human rights violations and the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan.
This marks the third such incident reported by Akbar since November 2023, when a masked individual allegedly threw acidic liquid at his home in Hertfordshire. While Akbar has claimed Pakistani state involvement and initiated legal proceedings, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has categorically rejected the allegations as “preposterous.”
Declared a proclaimed offender by an Islamabad court, Akbar is also facing extradition efforts. Last month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott and formally handed over extradition documents related to Akbar.
