Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan has survived a shooting at a political rally on Thursday that his followers called an assassination attempt, in the rally one man died and several others were injured.
Video of the alleged attacker shows that, Khan waving from an open-topped truck just outside the town of Gujranwala, Punjab province, when accused shot Imran khan he got bullet in one of his leg, his followers covered him up to save his life.
A bullet hit Khan in the leg, said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Umar, who later stated that : “Yes, he has been shot, there are pellets lodged in his leg, his bone has been chipped, he has also been shot in his thigh.” But, thank god he is alive to lead the party.
Khan was taken from the rally site to receive treatment in Lahore, around a two-and-a-half-hour drive away, which was really painful and was in a stable condition, Umar stated to reporter.
Who was accused, who attacked on Imran Khan
A man suspected of firing shots at the rally was detained on Thursday, according to police. The suspect was arrested with a 9mm pistol and two empty magazines, police said. Police suspect that there were 2 people behind the havoc but they yet to get evidence of the second person.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information released a video of a confession from an unnamed man who it claims carried out the attack. In video he clearly confessed that he attacked on Imran Khan.
In the video, the man says he “wanted to kill Imran Khan” because he “was misleading people,” adding he had no accomplices. He stated that he has not backed up by any organization or political party.In a video statement Javed, who can be seen sitting up while receiving treatment, said: “Please pray for us, for Imran Khan, pray for our fellow workers who are severely injured and pray for our party member who has died and is martyred, Please pray for survivors also.”The accused man said “ they were playing music and shouting from the loudspeakers as the call for prayer was happening. I didn’t like this happening on our soil,” the man says in the video, purportedly regarding his intentions.
At least one person was killed in the incident, according to Faisal Javed, a senior PTI politician and close Khan ally who received a wound to the head in the attack. The victim’s name has not been released. Police said after investigation they will declare the name of the accused and real motto behind the shooting.
OnThursday, Sen. Fawad Chaudhry, a senior PTI politician and Khan’s former information minister, said Khan was undergoing surgery and six others were injured and still being treated. Doctor declared they are out of danger but still they need medication to regain healthy body.
“We want to know who is behind the incident, what was their moto, is there any political backup with him, which people trained the accused, what is the thinking under which this boy was prepared, how much money he got, where did he get it from,” the Chief Minister of Punjab province, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, twitted.
Imran Khan’s long march
Khan was on the seventh day of a nationwide tour, as there are early elections in the month August he started heading rallies to regain his power. The so-called “long march” started in Lahore on October 28 and was due to finish in Islamabad after winding through several Pakistani cities. But after the assassination attempt further rallies has been cancelled.
After Imran loses his power in April after no confidence vote, he started conducting rallies to regain his position and power, he again want to become supreme power of Pakistan. Behind his demise he blamed United States for that.His claims have struck a chord with a young population in a country where anti-American sentiment runs high, and where the rising cost of living has fueled anti-establishment feelings. He openly accused US politicians behind loosing his power as politician.After the shooting, protests broke out across Pakistan on Thursday in support of Khan, including in Islamabad and Peshawar, where approximately 800 protesters gathered. They blocked roads for about two hours while holding party flags and chanting slogans against the army and the federal government.
Political tensions increase in Pakistan
Thursday’s shooting is likely to further inflame an already tense situation between Khan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who led the campaign to remove him from office. After the attacked on Imran.
Khan alleges that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and a senior intelligence official, Maj. Gen. Faisal Naseer, were behind Thursday’s attack. They are mastermind behind this havoc.
Sanaullah called Khan’s allegations “grievous” during a televised address on Thursday. He completely denied allegations made on him.
“Imran Khan has blamed me, the PM and a senior officer. This is such a grievous statement,” Sanaullah said. “It happened in the province where Imran Khan’s party is in government,” he said.
“I commend the PTI worker who caught the man who tried to shoot Imran Khan. I commend the police and the man who stopped the attacker. There has been an atmosphere that all political etiquette has been ignored.”
Sharif, however, condemned Thursday’s attack on his political rival on social site Twitter.
“I condemn the incident of firing on PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the strongest words,” Sharif wrote, addition to that he has asked for an “immediate report on the incident” and will pray for the recovery of those injured. Culprit will be punished, He added.
The commission said its decision was based on the grounds that Khan had “made false statements” regarding the declaration of the sale of gifts sent to him by the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Dubai while in office – an offense that is illegal under the country’s constitution. Which was not at all acceptable as an ideal politician.
Past Assassinations in Pakistan
This is not the first time that Pakistani politicians have been attacked by Pakistani people, in the history of nation there were many attacks on politicians, some of them assassinated brutally due to political rivalry.
The most condemned assassination was of Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, she was assassinated on December 27, 2007, and then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani survived an assassination attempt in 2008.
United States Condemn Shooting of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan
On Thursday evening, the US condemned the attack on the former prime minister. “The United States strongly condemns the attack on Imran Khan and his supporters and hopes for the swift recovery of all who were injured. Violence has no place in politics,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to New Mexico. We as nation believe in democracy and peace, he added to his statement.
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