Shahzad Akbar says attacked with acid at UK home

LONDON: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s accountability chief Shahzad Akbar has claimed that an unidentified man threw acid on his face at his home in the United Kingdom on Sunday.

The incident took place in an area near London outside his residence. Speaking to the Geo News on Monday, he said a delivery person came to his house and threw acid on him as soon as he opened the door. However, he said, most of the acid landed on the door and only a small amount landed on him. “My wife and children remained unharmed, only I got some injuries,” he said, adding that he was currently living in a small village outside London where he shifted about 1.5 months ago. He said his new address had been leaked.

The politician, who has been in self-exile in the UK, said he was at home with his kids on Sunday when the delivery man wearing a helmet rang the doorbell. As soon as he opened the door, the man threw acid on him from a bottle. As a result, one side of his face and body was burnt. His two young daughters were around when the delivery man rang the door. He was lucky not to lose his sight in the attack. “I was saved by my spectacles which were badly damaged. There are acid burns on my hands and arm,” he said, adding that his address had been leaked as he received a legal letter from Pakistan authorities at his new home two weeks ago. Akbar said he called police soon after the incident and law-enforcement officials reached his residence within five minutes. He remained in hospital for 10 to 11 hours. The area around his home has been cordoned off and he is assisting police in investigating the incident. Police recovered the acid bottle with fingerprints of the suspect. The Herts Police, where Akbar lives, didn’t respond to a request for comment.