Shahzad Akbar says injured in assault near Cambridge home

• Shahzad Akbar suffers broken nose, jaw fracture.
• Ex-PM's aide says suspect filmed attack, took pictures.
• I have registered complaint against assailant: Akbar

LONDON: Barrister Shahzad Akbar, a former adviser to ex-prime minister Imran Khan, was seriously injured in a violent assault near his home in Cambridge, according to a statement from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the former aide.

In a statement, Akbar told Geo News that he was attacked by a white assailant wearing a mask, gloves, and protective clothing, suggesting premeditation.

"The attacker has left me with a broken nose and a fracture to my jaw. I was woken up to a door bell at around 8am. I opened the door and a white man started punching me for several minutes. I resisted and he left. My family woke up and came downstairs to see me. The attacker returned after a minute and assaulted me again. This time he made a film and took pictures too".

The former PM's aide said he fell unconscious and was taken to the nearby hospital for treatment. "I have registered a complaint against the assailant," he said.

The PTI has condemned the assault, saying it highlights growing concerns about the safety of political dissidents living in exile in the UK. Akbar, who fled Pakistan after the ouster of the PTI government in 2022, has become a critic of the government and has faced legal actions and accusations at home.

"This horrifying incident is not the first attack on Akbar since he was forced to flee Pakistan due to threats to his life," said the PTI in its statement.

This attack comes more than two years after Akbar survived an acid attack at his Hertfordshire home in 2023, an incident he claimed was politically motivated.

The police have closed that inquiry, stating that the attacker was not traced or identified.