LAHORE: Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party of Imran Khan is set to resume its long stalled march on Thursday from Wazirabad in Punjab province, where a assassination attempt was made against the former Prime Minister last week.
The long march to Islamabad, demanding new general elections, has been suspended following the attack on Khan.
Khan, 70, was shot in the right leg when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him and others standing on a container-mounted truck in the Wazirabad area, where he was leading the march on November 3.
He underwent surgery for gunshot wounds at Shaukat Khanum Hospital owned by his charity.
It is advised to take rest for four to six weeks by doctors.
The former cricketer-turned-politician, who is recovering from injuries, had announced the resumption of the long march on Tuesday, but the party later changed the decision and rescheduled it for Thursday.
He would join the long march at Rawalpindi when it gets there in 10-14 days.
“PTI Deputy Chairman and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead the march from Wazirabad on Thursday at 2 p.m. (local time),” the head of PTI in Punjab and Minister of Health, Dr. Yasmin Rashid.
“The long march will resume with prayers for those killed and injured in the shooting. A sea of people will reach Islamabad to push the 13-party coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to announce the early election date,” she said.
During a meeting chaired by Khan at his residence in Lahore on Wednesday, it was decided that the “Haqeeqi Azadi” march would move to Rawalpindi following a public rally.
The federal government has not yet allowed the PTI to hold its rally in Islamabad.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said leaders from Faisalabad and other parts of the country would head for Rawalpindi in groups, while other convoys would reach the city during the third week of November, Geo TV reported. Meanwhile, a three-member investigation committee will be formed on Thursday, which will provide details of the local police investigation to the joint investigation team, he added.
One person was killed and 11 others, including Khan, were injured in the attack during the long march.
Khan alleged that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Naseer were part of a plot to assassinate him in the same way as former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by a religious extremist.
Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April this year after a no-confidence motion passed in the National Assembly, is seeking to hold new general elections in Pakistan.
However, the federal government under Prime Minister Sharif opposes holding elections now. The term of the current National Assembly will end in August 2023.
Political unrest in Pakistan comes as it reels from the economic crisis and the effects of devastating floods.
The long march to Islamabad, demanding new general elections, has been suspended following the attack on Khan.
Khan, 70, was shot in the right leg when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him and others standing on a container-mounted truck in the Wazirabad area, where he was leading the march on November 3.
He underwent surgery for gunshot wounds at Shaukat Khanum Hospital owned by his charity.
It is advised to take rest for four to six weeks by doctors.
The former cricketer-turned-politician, who is recovering from injuries, had announced the resumption of the long march on Tuesday, but the party later changed the decision and rescheduled it for Thursday.
He would join the long march at Rawalpindi when it gets there in 10-14 days.
“PTI Deputy Chairman and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead the march from Wazirabad on Thursday at 2 p.m. (local time),” the head of PTI in Punjab and Minister of Health, Dr. Yasmin Rashid.
“The long march will resume with prayers for those killed and injured in the shooting. A sea of people will reach Islamabad to push the 13-party coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to announce the early election date,” she said.
During a meeting chaired by Khan at his residence in Lahore on Wednesday, it was decided that the “Haqeeqi Azadi” march would move to Rawalpindi following a public rally.
The federal government has not yet allowed the PTI to hold its rally in Islamabad.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said leaders from Faisalabad and other parts of the country would head for Rawalpindi in groups, while other convoys would reach the city during the third week of November, Geo TV reported. Meanwhile, a three-member investigation committee will be formed on Thursday, which will provide details of the local police investigation to the joint investigation team, he added.
One person was killed and 11 others, including Khan, were injured in the attack during the long march.
Khan alleged that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Naseer were part of a plot to assassinate him in the same way as former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by a religious extremist.
Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April this year after a no-confidence motion passed in the National Assembly, is seeking to hold new general elections in Pakistan.
However, the federal government under Prime Minister Sharif opposes holding elections now. The term of the current National Assembly will end in August 2023.
Political unrest in Pakistan comes as it reels from the economic crisis and the effects of devastating floods.
