Wazirabad (Pakistan): Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot at and injured on Thursday during his long march to Islamabad.
According to Pakistani media, on Thursday afternoon, Imran was riding in an SUV at Alwala Chowk in Gujranwala, Punjab province, appealing to his supporters to join the long march when two person started shooting randomly. One of the bullets fired, hit Imran in the leg. He was immediately shifted to a hospital in Lahore where the doctors attending to him said that he was safe and there was no threat to his life due to the bullet injury.
Sources said that after getting injured in the attack, Imran Khan said that he was saved by `Allah’ and has been blessed by god with a new lease of life.
Eye witness said that the attackers who were two in number, were arrested on the spot.
However, a source said that one of the two attackers, who was severely thrashed by the crowds and succumbed to his injuries thereafter.
Initially, the local Pakistani police believed that a terrorist organization was involved behind the attack.
It may be mentioned here that former Prime Minister Imran Khan started a long march from Lahore to Islamabad last Friday to demand the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. Imran called all party leaders, workers and supporters to gather at liberty chowk in Lahore. From there they all walk about 400 km to Islamabad.
As part of that programme, Imran attended a rally of party supporters in Gujranwala near Wazirabad. That’s where the shooting incident happened.
Imran’s party leaders claimed that he was hit by multiple bullets in his leg. Several other leaders and activists, including Imran’s bodyguards, were also shot.
According to a section of the PTI leadership, there could be a ‘political motive’ behind the attack on Imran.
Imran has recently accused the Pakistan Army and military spy agency ISI of being involved in ‘political conspiracies’ against him several times. ISI Chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum held a press conference to answer this in an unprecedented manner. In this situation, some of his followers also believe that there may be ‘other reasons’ behind the attack on Imran.
Earlier, several leaders in Pakistan had been attacked in public meetings. Liaquat Ali Khan, the country’s first prime minister, was shot dead in a public meeting. On January 27, 2007, a 15-year-old suicide bomber killed former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The name of the teenager who carried out the suicide attack was Bilal. Benazir was walking towards his car after an election rally in Rawalpindi when Bilal shot her and later carried out a suicide attack. Terrorist outfit, Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistani is said to have carried out the attack on Benazir Bhutto.