Islamabad, Aug 10 (PTI) Pakistan is cracking down on dissidents living abroad who are critical of the country's powerful military, a leading British newspaper has reported, evoking a rebuttal from Islamabad which on Tuesday dismissed the report as unsubstantiated and false.

According to the report published in The Guardian newspaper on Saturday, Pakistani exiles living in London who have criticised the country's military have been warned that their “lives are in danger”.

Also Read | COVID-19 in US: Hospitals Filling Up With Kids Due to Rise in Delta Variant, Delay in Coronavirus Vaccination, Say Reports.

The report said the exiled Pakistanis have been warned by authorities in the UK that “they will be targeted”.

“British security sources are understood to be concerned that Pakistan, a strong UK ally – particularly on intelligence issues – might be prepared to target individuals on British soil,” the report said.

Also Read | Marburg Virus in Africa: Guinea Confirms First Death Due to the Ebola-Like Infectious Disease, Says WHO.

“Since Imran Khan came to power in Pakistan in 2018 with the backing of the military, civil rights groups there have documented an erosion of press freedom with rising violent attacks on journalists.

The concern now is that Pakistan appears to be moving from suppressing criticism within its borders to targeting critics based overseas,” it said.

The report noted that a man was charged in London last month with conspiring to murder political activist Ahmad Waqass Goraya in the Netherlands.

The report features a statement from Mark Lyall Grant, the former UK high commissioner to Pakistan, who said: “If there is illegal pressure, in particular on journalists in the UK, then I would expect the law enforcement agencies and the British government to take notice of that and to make an appropriate legal and/or diplomatic response.”

“If British nationals or residents in the UK acting lawfully are being harassed or threatened by the ISI, or anyone else, then the British government would certainly take an interest,” Grant was quoted as saying.

Responding to The Guardian report, the Pakistan Foreign Office said: “We categorically reject the unsubstantiated media reports alleging Pakistan cracking down on overseas dissidents.”

“There is no question of any threat being made to any national of any state including Pakistan's own nationals living anywhere on any pretext whatsoever,” it said.

The Foreign Office said the unsubstantiated allegations appear to be part of the rather blatant ongoing misinformation campaign against Pakistan to malign the country and its state institutions.

Pakistan is a parliamentary democracy with a vibrant civil society, free media and independent judiciary, which remains fully committed to the promotion and protection of human rights for all its citizens without discrimination, it said.

“Our strong commitment to the right to freedom of opinion and expression is demonstrated by the presence of scores of vibrant media channels and newspapers in the country,” the Foreign Office said.

Provision of a platform for the peddling of unsubstantiated and false narratives against Pakistan by any news outlet is indeed regrettable, it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)