Pakistan’s former Prime Minister survives a shooting attack at a political rally this Thursday. Imran Khan was wounded in the leg following a wave of gunfire hitting his convoy. What’s more, one person was killed and several others injured during this protest march in the eastern city of Wazirabad.
The former politician was taken from the site he marched calling for early elections and shipped to receive treatment in Lahore. Mr. Khan is in stable condition. However, reports claim an operation is highly likely.
According to the police, they detained a man suspected of firing shots at the rally. Furthermore, police reveal that the suspect was arrested with a 9mm pistol and empty magazines.
Moreover, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information released a video confession of the unnamed man suspected of orchestrating the attack. The conditions under which they carried out the interview are unclear. As a matter of fact, certain politicians are accusing the Pakistani government of being “directly involved” in the attack.
No official comment on the motive for the attack has been released. Nevertheless, Imran Khan’s party hails the ordeal as an assassination attempt.
The Ordeal
Video footage from the scene clearly shows the circumstances under which the former Prime Minister survives a shooting attack. Mr. Khan and his supporters stood on shipping containers playing music and shouting from the loudspeakers when gunfire abrupt.
Another video shows the former politician ducking while those around jump to cover him. Later, a conscious Mr. Khan appears with a bandage on his right leg as supporters carry him to a vehicle.
Likewise, one Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party member is seen with a bloody face and clothing, while another close ally of Khan received a wound to the head in the attack. There is no official release of the names of the victims.
In a statement on Twitter, the Chief Minister of Punjab province, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, claims “we want to know who is behind the incident, 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.”
Unfortunately, Pakistan has a long history of deadly political violence and no experts see it coming to an end any time soon.
