As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were putting on traditional feathered Chitrali caps in Pakistan’s stunning northern mountains and extolling the country’s scenery, culture and emphasis on family, across the nation television screens suddenly went blank.

Pakistanis watching a live press conference by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, one of the few opposition leaders not in jail, shrugged in resignation. The only surprise was when the Geo News presenter read out the authorities’ order to her to stop broadcasting.

A few hours later, while the royal couple were sleeping in Islamabad, police and plainclothes men with guns turned up at the house of Mohammad Ismail, a retired professor, and his wife. Their daughter, Gulalai, has been honoured around the world for her human rights work, including…