Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is in stable condition after being shot and wounded during a protest march, a senior leader of his party said Friday.
Khan’s protest march and rallies were peaceful until the attack on Thursday afternoon, raising concerns about growing political instability in Pakistan, a country with a history of political violence and murder.
One of Khan’s supporters was killed and 13 others, including two lawmakers, were injured in the attack.
“There is no question,” said Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party. “We are convinced that it was a well-planned attack on Pakistan’s most popular leader, Imran Khan, who is now in stable condition at the Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore after being operated on there.”
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He said the party leadership would meet in Lahore later on Friday. “We will announce today exactly when our march will resume from Wazirabad,” Chaudhry told The Associated Press. He did not provide further details, but Khan’s party in a brief statement urged supporters to hold nationwide rallies condemning the shooting.
Asad Umar, a leading figure in Khan’s party, accused Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the country’s interior minister and an army general of the shooting without providing any evidence.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks at a press conference in Islamabad on April 23, 2022. Pakistani officials said on Thursday, November 3, 2022, that a gunman opened fire on a container truck carrying Khan, injuring him slightly and also some of his supporters.
(Photo AP / Rahmat Gul)
The government called the accusation unfounded, saying it had ordered a high-level investigation and that the attacker was interrogated.
Police are still questioning the alleged assailant, who is shown in a video in which he claims he carried out the shooting and acted alone.
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Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif on Friday said the Punjab government suspended police officers who released the video to the media.
The attack occurred as the former cricket star turned politician was traveling in a large protest convoy of trucks and cars to Islamabad. The cutscene shows him and his team seeking cover atop a vehicle as gunfire rings out.
A bouquet with the message “get well soon” is placed by a benefactor on the wall of a hospital where former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is being treated for a gunshot wound in Lahore, Pakistan on Friday, November 4, 2022.
(Photo AP / KM Chaudhry)
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said some political elements in Khan’s party were trying to wreak havoc in the country after the attack.
His comments came after scores of Khan’s supporters demonstrated in various parts of the country, chanting slogans against the military and vowing to avenge the attack. The interior minister defined the alleged gunman a “religious extremist” who in some of his recent public speeches had accused the former prime minister of comparing himself to the prophets.
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Khan, 70, is likely to return home soon, according to Faisal Sultan, who leads the team of doctors who treated Khan. He told reporters Thursday that Khan’s surgery continued for two hours and that he had a bullet wound in his right leg.
A woman places a bouquet on the wall of a hospital where former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is being treated for a gunshot wound in Lahore, Pakistan on Friday, November 4, 2022.
(Photo AP / KM Chaudhry)
He claims his ouster from Parliament in April was illegal and a conspiracy of his political opponents orchestrated by the United States, an allegation denied by both Washington and Sharif.
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Khan wants the government to announce early elections. He led the protest from Lahore last Friday along with thousands of supporters, saying his protest against him will continue until his demands are accepted. Pakistan says elections will take place as planned in 2023.
His supporters gathered overnight in different parts of the country after the shooting.
