New Delhi: Pakistan formally summoned Britain’s deputy high commissioner on Friday following the circulation of a viral video in which a woman at a political rally in northern England appeared to threaten the life of Pakistan’s army chief.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in Matt Cannell to demand a comprehensive investigation into the footage, which shows a woman at a protest in Bradford discussing a potential car bomb attack against Gen. Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Staff.

The demonstration was organised by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated for two years on corruption charges. The protest occurred shortly after a Pakistani court handed a 17-year sentence to Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for the alleged illegal sale of state gifts.

The video was initially shared on X by the British chapter of Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), before being removed. On Friday, Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry told Geo Television that the remarks "crossed all limits" and should not be protected under the guise of free speech. He urged the British government to take immediate legal action.

In response, the U.K. High Commission in Islamabad issued a statement clarifying that any allegations of criminal activity on British soil should be referred to police liaisons. “Any material that appears to break UK law will be reviewed by the police and may lead to a criminal investigation,” the commission stated.

The diplomatic row comes amid a significant escalation in rhetoric between Khan’s party and the military. Following social media posts from Khan’s account describing the army chief as "mentally unstable," military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry responded in a Dec. 5 news conference by characterising Khan as "mentally ill."

Gen. Munir has recently seen a rise in his domestic profile following a four-day border conflict with India earlier this year. The two nuclear-armed nations exchanged retaliatory strikes in May after an Indian operation targeted terrorists in Pakistan. Khan continues to maintain that his 2022 ouster was the result of a military-backed conspiracy involving the United States—a claim that has been consistently denied by Washington and the Pakistani armed forces.

With inputs from AP