A close aide of former Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Asad Umar, blamed incumbent PM Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Major General Faisal Naseer for the assassination attempt on Khan in Wazirabad yesterday.
Umar said that the former PM had reached out to him from the hospital and urged him to convey this message to the nation, calling for Sharif’s immediate dismissal.
He declared, “If the demands are not met, then all the party’s workers are awaiting Khan’s call, and when he does give that call, then protests will take place across the country.”
Imran Khan was shot in the leg but was stable while being taken to hospital. He waived at supporters too. #عمران_خان_ہماری_ریڈ_لائن_ہے pic.twitter.com/XizoAQzPax
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 3, 2022
There is no evidence to support Umar’s allegations at this stage and Sanaullah has called them “baseless.” He expressed dismay about Khan’s “hate campaign” against the federal government and urged the former PM to instead call for the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for the security lapse.
The attack occurred on Thursday at around 4.30 PM on the seventh day of Khan’s Haqaaqi Azaad Long March in the Punjab province. Khan called for the march from Lahore to Islamabad to oppose the incumbent government and reiterate his call for fresh elections.
The assailant fired a gun that resulted in a burst of six shots. A party worker then tackled the attacker and stopped him from firing a second set of shots.
Khan escaped with a minor bullet wound on his right calf, with Umar claiming that a bullet had chipped the former leader’s bone. He confirmed that Khan is out of danger.
#EXCLUSIVE: Another confessional video of gunman who attempted to assassinate former PM @ImranKhanPTI, saying “I wanted to kill #ImranKhan because he claims prophethood by comparing himself with prophets.” pic.twitter.com/b3rUFrnzaG
— Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) November 4, 2022
However, seven Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party workers were injured in the open fire that targeted their container vehicle as it slowly made its way through the crowd. In fact, one PTI worker died during the incident.
Those injured during the attack include several members of Khan’s political circle, including former Sindh governor Imran Ismail and Senator Faisal Javaid.
The police swiftly arrested the man who fired the gun, Faisal Butt, who confessed that he had attacked Khan for “misleading people.” He revealed that he had been planning the attack since Khan left Lahore. Butt also said that he had acted alone and did not intend to kill anyone but Khan.
Culprit made a confession to police pic.twitter.com/TzqKgwxJiY
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) November 3, 2022
Several PTI leaders have condemned the attack as an attempt to assassinate the former PM. Punjab’s Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said the incident is “not acceptable” and vowed to deal with the perpetrators of the attack “with iron hands.” He further assured that Khan would receive the best treatment.
PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, too, decried the “clear assassination attempt,” saying, “If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out.”
Similarly, former Foreign Minister and incumbent PTI Vice Chairperson Shah Mahmood Qureshi highlighted that the attack will push Khan to continue the march with “more force.”
PTI leader Qasim Khan Suri also cast doubt on Butt’s arrest as the sole perpetrator, questioning how six bullets from the assailant’s pistol could injure 14 people and kill one. To this end, he declared that the ground shooting was an attempt to distract the crowd and allow a sniper to take a hit at Khan and other PTI leaders.
Several PTI leaders launched protests against the incident in several parts of Lahore. For instance, Provincial Minister of Punjab for Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Mehmoodur Rasheed launched a demonstration at Liberty Chowk. Party members also organised events outside the Shaukat Khanum hospital, Shahdara Chowk, GPO Chowk, The Mall, Governor House, Ferozepur Road, and Babu Sabu Interchange.
Demonstrations were also seen in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Hafizabad, and several other towns and cities.
PM Sharif took to Twitter to condemn the attacks, emphasising that violence has “no place in [Pakistan’s] politics.” He also called on the Interior Ministry to investigate the attack and vowed to provide the Punjab government with the necessary support for the investigation.
Federal government will extend all support necessary to Punjab govt for security & investigation. Violence should have no place in our country's politics. 2/2 https://t.co/LWMUW03kQb
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) November 3, 2022
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has thus set up a joint investigation team and called for a transparent inquiry into the attack.
Other opposition leaders, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif, also spoke out against the attack and expressed hope for Khan’s expedited recovery.
Similarly, the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Service Public Relations “highly condemned” the attack on Khan.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb regretted the politicisation of the incident and called for an independent investigation.
The attack on @ImranKhanPTI 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.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 3, 2022
The attack attracted international concern too. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the attack and expressed her hope for Khan and his PTI workers’ “swift recovery.” Canadian PM Justin Trudeau also said such violence has “no place in politics.” In addition, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi declared that New Delhi is “closely following the situation.”
Khan was ousted as PM following a vote of no confidence in April this year, following which he was replaced by Sharif. Since then, he has been vociferously speaking out against the incumbent government and the military establishment.
He has called army chief General Qamar Bajwa “an animal” and a “traitor,” alleging that the army chief was responsible for, or at least complicit in, his ouster. Khan has also previously raised concern about his safety and warned that his life is in danger.