Imran Khan stable after surviving assassination attempt
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan is stable after receiving bullet injuries in the leg following a bid on his life on Thursday while leading a protest march to Islamabad.
“His condition is stable. His blood pressure, vital signs are all right. He is able to talk,“ said Dr Faisal Sultan of the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore.
The X-rays and scans showed fragments of bullets in his legs and one shin bone was chipped in one place, said the doctor, who is heading the medical team treating the 70-year-old leader.
Imran came under attack in Wazirabad town of Punjab province as he rode a customised container truck along with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on the way to Pakistan’s capital to demand fresh elections.
Pakistan was on edge as large protests broke out in many cities, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi and Peshawar in support of Imran.
In foreign reactions, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the United States, Canada and Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the attack.
Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has ordered an investigation into Thursday’s incidents.
He said there appeared to be two assailants on the scene.
Eyewitnesses have said the shots fired at Imran’s vehicle came from an automatic gun.
PTI leaders see a deeper conspiracy to eliminate Imran from the political scene and the former premier has himself publicly talked on several occasions about threats to his life.
One shooting suspect was in police custody, and in a video circulating on social media the man confessed that he wanted to kill Imran.
“It’s an eyewash,“ Zartaj Gul Wazir, a PTI leader, told television channel Bol.
She said there is intense anger among the people over the attempt on Imran’s life.
Seven people, including Imran’s party colleagues Faisal Javed Khan and Ahmed Chattha, were injured and one man died in the shooting, according to Pakistani media reports.
“This is an attack on the Pakistani nation and its security,“ former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri said.
The attack provoked strong reactions outside Pakistan as well.
“Democracies can only function when we use words, not weapons. No political leader should ever face violence or intimidation. My prayers are with Imran Khan and the people of Pakistan at this moment,“ London mayor Sadiq Khan said.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the assassination attempt on former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan,“ the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.
“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,“ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
While condemning the shooting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Pakistani political parties to remain peaceful.
The OIC in a statement expressed its condemnation of the assassination attempt and reiterated the 57-member organisation’s stance against all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism. – Bernama
