Muslim women form human chain after Westminster terror attack

March 27, 2017

London, Mar 27: A group of Muslim women formed a human chain along the iconic Westminster Bridge here in a show of solidarity with the victims of deadly terror attack outside the British Parliament that killed four people.

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The women, many of whom wore blue to symbolise peace, were joined by supporters who stood in silence for five minutes when Big Ben chimed at 4 PM yesterday.

The vigil, which was organised by the Women's March on London, came after a photo of a woman wearing a hijab crossing the bridge in the aftermath of the attack went viral on social media.

"The feeling of what happened here on Wednesday was really strong. We thought of the ordinary people who were here and were mown down, standing here like this, it was very overwhelming," Fariha Khan, from Surbiton, was quoted as saying by the BBC.

It was an 'overwhelmingly' emotional experience, another said.

Another woman who was there, Sarah Waseem, said the Islam faith "totally condemns violence of any sort". "When an attack happens in London, it is an attack on me. It is an attack on all of us. This is abhorrent to us," she said.

Londoner Mary Bennett, retired healthcare worker, said she was present to make a "small gesture".

Four people died and 50 injured when lone attacker Khalid Masood rammed a car into pedestrians on the bridge, before crashing his vehicle and fatally stabbing an on-duty police officer in the grounds of Parliament. Masood was shot dead by police at the scene.

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News Network
November 27,2025

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Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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