The UK counter-terrorism police advise Pakistani exiles to maintain a low profile. Reports by The Guardian state that their life may be at risk after criticizing Pakistan’s powerful military. People seeking refuge in the UK need to inform the police whenever they intend to travel within the UK.
After a so-called hitman was convicted by a UK court, an outspoken blogger accused Pakistan of attempting to murder him in the Netherlands. Muhammad Gohir Khan, the 31-year-old British Pakistani man was found guilty of plotting to kill Ahmad Waqass Goraya. It is still unclear who the mysterious middleman behind the plot is, known as ‘Muzzamil’.
According to the Metropolitan police, they are still searching for his identity and whereabouts. The officers have appealed to the public for information on Muzzamil. In the trial, which lasted for about two weeks, starting on January 11, details emerged about how Khan was approached in early 2021 and paid for a ‘job’ by a Pakistan-based man known as Muzamil. Later, Goraya, a dissident blogger who fled Pakistan and lived in exile in Rotterdam, was revealed to be the target of the job.
The court heard that Khan received £5,000 as an advance via hundi, with Muzamil transferring the majority of the money to a Pakistani bank account. Under cross-examination, Khan acknowledged that he had been asked to kill Goraya, but that he never intended to carry out the murder. He claimed that he was only seeking money. The UK home of Pakistani political commentator Rashid Murad was visited by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing a few days before the trial.
The purpose of the visit was to review his security. According to The Guardian, Murad explained, ‘Two police officers showed up at my home in 2021 and informed me that they had intercepted communication in which it was revealed that someone was planning to harm me. They didn’t tell me who but indicated they were from the Pakistani authorities’. His brother, who is based in Manchester, was also approached.
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