Islamabad, Pakistan
CNN
—
Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot in the foot at a rally Thursday, in keeping with an official from his social gathering, which mentioned the incident was an assassination attempt.
A bullet hit Khan in his foot after a gunman opened hearth, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior chief Asad Umar mentioned.
The former Pakistan cricket captain was taken from the rally web site simply outdoors the city of Gujranwala to obtain remedy in Lahore, round a two-and-a-half-hour drive away.
Khan is in a steady situation and present process surgical procedure, in keeping with Senator Fawad Chaudhry, a senior PTI politician and Khan’s former data minister.
Six others had been injured and are nonetheless being handled, Chaudhry mentioned.
Police mentioned they detained a person suspected of firing photographs at the rally. The male suspect was arrested with a 9mm pistol and two empty magazines, police mentioned.
At least one particular person was killed in the incident, in keeping with Faisal Javed, a senior PTI politician and shut Khan ally who obtained a wound to the top in the assault. The sufferer’s identify has not been launched.
In a video assertion Javed, who could be seen sitting up whereas receiving remedy, mentioned: “Please pray for us, for Imran Khan, pray for our fellow workers who are severely injured and pray for our party member who has died and is martyred.”
Khan was on the seventh day of a nationwide rally tour calling for elections to be introduced ahead from August subsequent yr.
Protests broke out throughout Pakistan in help of Khan, together with in the capital Islamabad in addition to in Peshawar, the place roughly 800 protesters gathered, blocking roads for round two hours whereas holding social gathering flags and chanting slogans towards the military and the federal authorities.
Several PTI politicians addressed the group, together with provincial meeting member Fazal Elahi, who mentioned the assault was a part of a conspiracy towards PTI management.
“Today we held a peaceful protest which would continue in the future as well,” Elahi mentioned.
Khan alleges that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and a senior intelligence official, Maj. Gen. Faisal Naseer, had been behind Thursday’s assault.
Khan made the accusations in a press release shared by PTI senior chief Umar, who mentioned he lately spoke to Khan.
“I was getting information that this was going to happen from beforehand,” Khan mentioned, in keeping with Umar. “These men need to be removed from their posts, if they are not removed then there will be protests.”
Sharif, who got here to energy after Khan misplaced a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April, condemned Thursday’s assault on his political rival on Twitter.
“I condemn the incident of firing on PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the strongest words,” Sharif wrote, including that he has requested for an “immediate report on the incident” and can pray for the restoration of these injured.
“Violence should have no place in our country’s politics,” Sharif wrote.
On October 21, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) advisable that Khan be disqualified from holding political workplace for 5 years, a transfer prone to additional inflame political tensions in the nation.
While studying out the advice, ECP chief Sikandar Sultan Raja acknowledged that Khan was disqualified for being concerned in “corrupt practices.”
The fee mentioned its resolution was primarily based on the grounds that Khan had “made false statements” concerning the declaration of the sale of items despatched to him by the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Dubai whereas in workplace – an offense that’s unlawful underneath the nation’s structure.
Khan was unseated in a vote of no-confidence following claims of unhealthy governance and financial mismanagement.
Since then he has repeatedly claimed, with out offering any proof, that the United States had orchestrated his ouster. Khan’s allegations have grow to be a staple at rallies he has held throughout Pakistan in a bid to return to energy.
His claims have struck a chord with a younger inhabitants in a rustic the place anti-American sentiment runs excessive, and anti-establishment emotions are being fueled by a rising value of residing disaster.
This isn’t the primary time that Pakistani politicians have been attacked.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, after which Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani survived an assassination attempt in 2008.