British councillor suspended after flying to Pakistan to attend wedding

MANCHESTER – A local politician in United Kingdom who allegedly breached Covid-19 restrictions by flying to Pakistan and attending a wedding has been suspended by the Labour Party.

Photos were shared on Facebook allegedly showing Manchester City Councillor Aftab Razaq at the wedding in the city of Kharian.

Under the current Covid-19 rules in the UK, travelling abroad for holidays and other leisure purposes is illegal.

Photos show Razaq completely ignoring social distancing and not wearing a mask even though it is mandatory for attendees to wear a mask and follow SOPs in Pakistan.

Following the circulation of the photos, Razaq was suspended from the party.

Councillor Pat Karney, secretary of Manchester Labour, explained that he would “thoroughly investigate the matter”.

He said the Labour group had seen the photographs but “despite their best efforts”, they have not been able to contact the Whalley Range councillor.

Razaq had received a coronavirus vaccine in January 2021.