Junaid Safdar terms reports of his arrest in London 'fake, baseless'

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s grandson, Muhammad Junaid Safdar, has denied the authenticity of social media posts claiming that he was arrested in London by Scotland Yard.

Several users on Twitter shared a video showing Junaid Safdar being taken away by the police in a van. Some users said Junaid has been arrested in relation to the discovery of a Bentley in Karachi stolen from London and some claimed Junaid had been arrested for obtaining a fake degree.

Read more: Maryam Nawaz’s son Junaid gets master's degree from LSE

Junaid Safdar said in a statement the social media news was fake and baseless. He said: “News regarding my arrest is fake. For those who have a short memory, this video is from 2018. I was arrested after responding in self-defence to an attack instigated by a group of PTI goons who took no time in turning tail.”

He said that Scotland Yard carried out a criminal investigation and no further action was taken.

Junaid Safdar said: “I am told that the journalist responsible for propagating this fake news has deleted his tweet, perhaps less out of moral considerations and more out of embarrassment. No apology or clarification was issued. Must really be a man of grace and integrity. I have nothing more to say about his conduct.”

Junaid Safdar said it was unfortunate that social media is used these days as a vehicle to run fake political campaigns and target opponents. He said those interested in his degrees should contact the universities from where he has obtained qualifications.

Read more: Nawaz’s grandson Junaid Safdar starts masters at LSE

Junaid Safdar has completed a Bachelor's in Politics from the University of Durham; MSc in Global Governance and Ethics from the University College London (UCL); MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE) and BA in Law from the University of Cambridge.

The video that was posted on Twitter showing Junaid in handcuffs was made on 18 July 2018 the day Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz left for Pakistan from London. A scuffle had broken out between Junaid, his two cousins and protestors who had attempted to gain access to Avenfield flats.