A supporter of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has spray painted on the wall of the building here where Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif's son Hussain has an office, in an act that constitutes "criminal vandalism" under law in the UK.
On Monday evening, a British Pakistani supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Chairman Khan, posted a photo on Twitter where he was seen standing against the boundary wall of Stanhope House, which was spray painted with the words: You can't kill IK chor .
The phrase is being construed by many on social media as being targeted at the Sharifs. The slogan appeared just days after Khan was shot and injured at his rally in Wazirabad.
Khan has repeatedly alleged that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, is among the three people who plotted to assassinate him. Shehbaz Sharif has dismissed Khan's allegations.
Khan, 70, suffered bullet injuries in the leg on Thursday when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him while leading a protest march against the Shehbaz Sharif government. He underwent successful surgery and has now been shifted to a private residence in Lahore.
Ali is routinely seen outside Avenfield House and Stanhope House, shouting anti-Nawaz slogans, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Some Twitter users praised Ali, however, others pointed out that his action falls under criminal vandalism in the UK.
Under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, a person caught doing graffiti can face a prison sentence of up to ten years or a fine if the damage costs more than 5,000 pounds.
If the damage caused is less than 5,000 pounds, an offender could face three months in prison or a fine of 2,500 pounds. Offenders can also be prosecuted under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, of 2003.
However, there was no word on whether a complaint or charges had been filed.
Nawaz Sharif, 72, who was convicted in the Avenfield properties case and sentenced to ten years in prison, has been in London since November 2019 after arriving there for a medical emergency.
His sons, Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz who live in London, were declared as 'absconders' by a Pakistani court after they failed to appear in any of the three corruption cases lodged against them along with their father after a Supreme Court decision in July 2017.
Sharif was disqualified as prime minister in July 2017 by the Supreme Court following a challenge to his office by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on the basis of the publication of the Panama Papers, which alleged that the Sharif family stashed away assets in London.
