Protests erupt after attack on Imran Suspect: Wanted to kill former PM for misleading people

Khan was shot in the leg less than a week after he began his ‘long march’ to the Pak capital, calling for early elections

ISLAMABAD: Hours after former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was wounded in a shooting, people held protests in front of Corps Commander House in Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and many other areas across the country, which was plunged into chaos.

“When non-political people conduct political press conferences and when people see no action against those threatening Imran Khan, the mistrust in the Establishment grows. It is alarming to see people protesting in front of Corps Commander House Peshawar!” PTI tweeted.

On Thursday, Khan survived an assassination attempt when a gunman opened fire on his opentopped campaign truck as it wound its way through a huge crowd near Gujranwala, in eastern Punjab province.

Khan - who was leading a so-called ‘long march’ of supporters on the capital to press for early elections - escaped with a bullet wound to his right calf, while several of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party members were also hit by the spray of gunfire.

The country’s information minister said authorities had the gunman in custody, and a video clip apparently filmed in a police station showed him saying he tried to kill Khan for “misleading” the nation.

Regarded as a wily cricket captain during his international playing days, Khan has made no secret of his attempt to disrupt the political process since being ousted but whether he gets a second innings remains to be seen. The government insists it will not call an early election - which must be held by October next year - and has assailed him with a slew of charges that have him tangled in myriad court cases.

“This is a movement, it’s a struggle,” the 70-year-old told AFP two days earlier, momentarily turning his back to thousands of supporters in the smoggy city of Gujranwala.

“That’s why I have this massive following right now.”

Khan’s march, which started in the eastern megacity of Lahore, has been staged to demonstrate mass support for early elections.

Every day the fender-bending cavalcade of motorbikes, blacked-out SUVs and lumbering truck-mounted shipping containers has inched closer to a showdown in Islamabad. The swarming supporters have undeniable energy and a fanatical edge, which seems to have saved Khan’s life.

Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry told AFP they “tried to snatch the gun” from the would-be assassin, causing him to miss his mark.

“He was great when he was in power and he is great even now,” insisted 52-year-old supporter Basharat Ahmad, a PTI scarf draped around his neck and a bedazzled party broach pinned to his chest.

Jemima Goldsmith, the ex-wife of the former cricketing superstar who shares two children with him, tweeted her relief. “Thank you from his sons to the heroic man in the crowd who tackled the gunman.”

In a tweet, Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi called it “a heinous assassination attempt”.

“Firing incident during Long March near Gujranwala is highly condemnable,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the military, tweeted. “Sincere prayers for precious life lost and speedy recovery and well being of Chairman PTI Mr Imran Khan and all those injured in this unfortunate incident.”

Defence minister Khawaja Asif, speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, said that the incident was a manifestation of increasing violence in the politics of the country.

“I believe today’s incident shows the deterioration in our politics,” he said. “The entire nation is condemning this incident”, he said. He also said use of words like killing and burning in politics by politicians give a licence to their followers to use such methods.

“Because if it persists, our words will fade away and only the noise of bullets and violence will be heard,” he said, adding, “We must not resort to violence because it undoes society”.

Foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto took to Twitter to condemn the attack. He wrote, “Strongly condemn the attack on @ImranKhanPTI. Praying for his swift recovery.”

The White House said it “strongly” condemned the attack on Khan.

“The United States strongly condemns the attack on Imran Khan and his supporters and hopes for the swift recovery of all who were injured,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: The attack on Imran Khan and his supporters is completely unacceptable, and I strongly condemn this violence. It has no place in politics, in any democracy, or in our society. I’m wishing a speedy recovery to Imran and all who were injured today.”

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader claims that foreign powers are involved in a conspiracy to topple his government. Khan is ousted on April 10 after losing a vote of no-confidence. Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) founder Nawaz Sharif, becomes PM

The government accuses Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and her friend Farah Gogi of making "billions" under the tenure of the PTI government. Meanwhile, the ex-premier continues to call for early elections

The electronic media watchdog bans TV channels from broadcasting Khan's live speeches, hours after he threatens to file cases against top police officials, a woman magistrate, the election commission, and political opponents over the treatment meted out to his aide Shahbaz Gill, who is arrested on charges of sedition. A court later overturns the ban

Pakistan’s elections commission disqualifies Khan from holding public office for five years, after finding he had unlawfully sold state gifts and concealed assets as premier. Khan challenges the verdict in a pending court case

Since Friday, the 70-year-old has been at the head of this roadshow to thecapitalcallingforearlypolls

GUJRANWALA: Former Pakistan premier Imran Khan underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments after he was shot in the leg at a rally in eastern Punjab province. He was in stable condition and being shifted to a hospital in Lahore.

Khan, 70, underwent surgery at Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore, tweeted Omar Ayub Khan, a senior leader of the ex-premier’s Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf party. Khan was seen with a bandage on his right leg, just above the foot, according to reports and a blurry image from the protest.

Faisal Sultan, the doctor treating Khan confirmed he was in a stable condition.

“Khan was hit but he’s stable. There was a lot of bleeding,” Fawad Chaudhry, a spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) party, told Reuters. “If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out.”

He wrote on Twitter, “It was a well-planned assassination attempt on Imran Khan, the assassin planned to kill Imran Khan and leadership of PTI, it was not 9mm it was burst from automatic weapon, no two opinions about that it was narrow escape.”

Rauf Hasan, a spokesman of PTI, initially said there were two shooters at the scene. Local TV stations were broadcasting the alleged confession made by one of the attackers to the police.

The former premier was leading his supporters toward the capital Islamabad to demand early elections.

In purported footage of the shooting, being run by multiple channels, a man with a handgun is grabbed from behind by one of the people at the gathering. He then tries to flee.

TV channels showed a man they said was a suspected shooter, identified as Faisal Butt by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, who looked to be in his twenties or thirties.

Aurangzeb said the attacker had been taken into custody and that a confession video was circulating online.

“I did it because (Khan) was misleading the public, I tried to kill him, I tried my best,” said a dishevelled man in the video, shown with his hands tied behind his back in what appears to be a police station.

He adds that he was angry with the procession for playing music during the call to prayer that summons Muslims to the mosque five times a day.

“I conspired against Imran Khan from the day he kicked off his ‘long march’ from Lahore. I made up my mind that I will not leave him alive,” as per a video of the shooter shared on social media. The information minister confirmed the footage was recorded by police. No one has yet been charged with the attack.

Police have yet to comment on the incident or confirm earlier reports that a second attacker was killed at the scene.