On Sunday, April 17, supporters of disgraced former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif threatened to enter the bedroom of Imran Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith during a protest outside her residence in the suburban district of Ham in Richmond in southeast London.
The demonstration was led by Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) supporters, the plans for which were originally announced by the party’s Vice-President Abid Sher Ali. In a video that has now gone viral on social media, a PML-N supporter was seen threatening to enter the bedroom of Imran Khan’s former wife.
“End this trend of standing outside people’s houses for politics. If you want to do politics then stand outside the Pakistan High Commission. It has been an established norm to stage protests outside the Pakistan High Commission,” the man was heard as saying.
He then threatened, “If you stand outside the house of Miya Nawaz Sharif or his children, then, remember we will enter your bedrooms. We will jump off your walls and enter your building. If you (referring to PTI supporters) don’t stop this trend, then, it will pan out badly.”
“ہم آپ کے بیڈروم تک آ جائیں گے”
— Siasat.pk (@siasatpk) April 17, 2022
ن لیگ کا عمران خان کی سابقہ اہلیہ جمائما گولڈ سمتھ(جنہیں وہ بیس سال پہلے طلاق دے چکے ہیں) کے گھر کے باہر احتجاج pic.twitter.com/Ym7KFYusAw
The development came after the protests outside the residence of Nawaz Sharif by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) supporters, following the ouster of Imran Khan as the Pakistani Prime Minister.
While reacting to the comments made by PML-N supporters, Jemima tweeted, “This is a video of hundreds of men protesting for hours outside my 88 yr old mother’s house in Surrey yesterday. The man with the tannoy is threatening – If Jemima and her children don’t come down here, then we will enter her bedroom. Metropolitan Police, is this legal?”
This is a video of hundreds of men protesting for hours outside my 88 yr old mother’s house in Surrey yesterday.
— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) April 18, 2022
The man with the tannoy is threatening –
“If Jemima and her children don’t come down here, then we will enter her bedroom.”@metpoliceuk is this legal? https://t.co/0aNE7J0Hmx
The British television personality and descendent of the Goldsmith family, Jemima Goldsmith married Imran Khan in 1995 and was divorced 18 years ago in 2004. The decision of the PML-N supporters to target Goldsmith, despite being a non-political personality, has drawn the ire of the public and politicians alike in Pakistan.
Earlier on Friday, April 15, Jemima Goldsmith had called out PML-N Vice-President Abid Sher Ali on social media for threatening to stage a protest outside her house and targeting her children with anti-semitic abuse. “It’s almost like I’m back in 90s Lahore,” she had tweeted.
Protests outside my house, targeting my children, antisemitic abuse on social media…. It’s almost like I’m back in 90s Lahore. #PuranaPakistan pic.twitter.com/0R2YOPcQrJ
— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) April 15, 2022
She had slammed Abid Sher Ali for posting the address of her residence on social media. “And posting a private home address on social media is surely not legal? Especially as I have an ongoing problem with stalkers (one arrested at my workplace last week and another who breached his restraining order & is being tried in a few weeks),” Jemima Goldsmith had tweeted.
Especially as I have an ongoing problem with stalkers (one arrested at my work place last week and another who breached his restraining order & is being tried in a few weeks)
— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) April 15, 2022
Followers of Nawaz Sharif defend protest against ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith
Abid Sher Ali had defended the protests claiming that Jemima Goldsmith and her children are political supporters of Imran Khan and the Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaaf party. In a tweet, he posted a picture of Khan’s son in a PTI scarf and wrote, “Your children are apolitical but wearing PTI slavery scarf to protest against then sitting Prime Minister of Pakistan – hypocrisy at its best- so long Imran Khan Niazi – The X Jemima Khan.”
Your children are apolitical but wearing pti slavery scarf to protest against then sitting Prime Minister of Pakistan – hypocrisy at its best- so long Imran Khan Niazi – The X @Jemima_Khan pic.twitter.com/2f00Ec8mgw
— Abid Sher Ali (@AbidSherAli) April 15, 2022
He had also shared screenshots of tweets by Jemima Goldsmith, where she was seen campaigning for her estranged husband and criticising the party of Nawaz Sharif.
Why are the repeated protests outside Sharifs’ residence underplayed? Despite deleting her old tweets there’s enough to show @jemima_khan political leanings. We denounce anti-semitism. It has nothing to do with the protest. Freedom of expression is a hall mark of British Society. pic.twitter.com/5gjSS6GTeG
— Abid Sher Ali (@AbidSherAli) April 16, 2022
Counter protests by PTI
On April 10, PTI supporters staged a protest outside the Avenfield House in London, where Nawaz Sharif currently resides with his family. Imran Khan’s followers raised slogans against PML-N over the collapse of his government after the no-confidence vote in Pakistan National Assembly.
The protestors had initially gathered from all over the UK at the Hyde Park before marching towards the residence of Nawaz Sharif and his two sons, namely, Hassan and Hussain. The PTI supporters were later confronted by PML-N supporters.
On Sunday, April 17, Imran Khan’s supporters led a large-scale demonstration outside the residence of Nawaz Sharif.
Aerial view of PTI protest out side former PM Nawaz Sharif residency pic.twitter.com/RdwhBP6vBL
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) April 17, 2022
Several Pakistani political commentators discouraged the political protests outside the houses of the family members of the politicians.
With respect, The difference is that I have got nothing to do with Pakistani politics and neither have my children. They are low- key private individuals who are not even on social media. https://t.co/REB4u5ncqa
— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) April 15, 2022
“With respect, The difference is that I have got nothing to do with Pakistani politics and neither have my children. They are low- key private individuals who are not even on social media,” Jemima Goldsmith had outlined the difference.
Imran Khan loses no-confidence motion
Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan was finally over on April 9 as he lost the no-confidence motion in Pakistan’s National Assembly. Khan joined the long list of Pakistani Prime Ministers who have failed to complete their full tenure as per the official Pakistani Constitution.
Since Pakistan’s inception, no PM has managed to survive the full term, and Imran Khan didn’t turn out to be an exception. This time, there was no direct coup by the Pakistan Army, and Imran was displaced by a show of opposition unity, and by America as per Imran’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Pakistan Army, which had allegedly installed Imran as the PM of the country, didn’t come to his support as he lost the battle in Supreme Court and then the National Assembly.
In the run-up to the no-confidence vote, Imran Khan and his party colleagues repeatedly said that their government was being destabilized by a foreign power, namely the United States of America. They said that Imran Khan is being punished for visiting Russia ahead of the Russia-Ukraine war. However, this attempt to blame foreign powers didn’t work, and Imran Khan ended up losing his post as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
