Colonel Taimur Rahat, the Defence Attaché of the Pakistan Army posted at its High Commission in London, was seen making a threatening throat-slitting gesture towards Indian-origin protestors on Friday, drawing sharp condemnation from the diaspora and protest organisers.
The incident occurred outside the Pakistan High Commission where members of the Indian community had gathered to denounce the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 Indian pilgrims and one Nepali national dead. Visuals from the site, now widely circulated online, show Colonel Rahat making the gesture from within the High Commission premises as protestors raised slogans demanding justice.
More than 500 members of the British Hindu community took part in the protest, holding Indian flags and placards while decrying Pakistan's alleged complicity in harbouring terrorist outfits. They called for diplomatic action and demanded the United Kingdom summon Pakistan’s High Commissioner over the conduct of its officials.
“Today’s protest was a call for justice and accountability. However, in a disturbing and shameful turn of events, officials within the Pakistan Embassy were seen playing loud celebratory music during the protest—a tone-deaf and disgraceful act that added deep insult to an already grievous injury,” said one of the protest organisers.
“While the world mourns the victims, the embassy’s actions displayed a shocking lack of empathy and human decency. Organisers condemn the Embassy’s insensitive behaviour amid national grief,” the statement continued.
The demonstrators held Pakistan responsible for the Pahalgam massacre, with many linking the attack to terror groups allegedly nurtured by the Pakistani establishment.
“We Indians have gathered here to hold a protest against Pakistan. They (Pakistan) have nurtured a terror factory, and because of which 26 of our people were killed in Pahalgam. We have gathered to protest against it,” one member of the Indian diaspora told ANI.
Expressing solidarity, members of the Jewish community in the UK also joined the protest. An Indo-Jewish demonstrator likened the Pahalgam attack to the Hamas assault on Israel in 2023, saying the Pakistani regime fosters Islamist radicalisation that fuels such violence.
“We have a big Jewish community over here, which is always supporting India because we have the same enemy, Islamist radicalisation. It’s the same everywhere. Israel faced it on 7th October, and when I saw this happen in India, it reminded me of that: terrorists coming and killing innocent people, and this terrorism is fed by the Pakistani Islamist regime, and we will be here with the Indians supporting Indians all the time. And Modi is doing great work,” he said.
Describing the gesture made by Colonel Rahat as an act of provocation, another protest organiser stated, “This is not just insensitivity—it is provocation. The Pakistani authorities have crossed every boundary of diplomacy and humanity. If Pakistan cannot condemn terror, they are complicit in it.”
Protestors also demanded that Pakistan publicly condemn the killings, renounce sponsorship of terrorist groups, and bring perpetrators to justice.
The April 22 attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam has triggered a diplomatic backlash. India responded by halting the Indus Waters Treaty, suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals, closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari, and ordering reductions in staff strength at both High Commissions.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiation, has been one of the key pillars of Indo-Pakistani engagement, despite tensions.
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