A gunman opened fire at a container truck carrying Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday, wounding him slightly and killing one of his supporters, a senior leader from his party and police said.
Party official Asad Umar says Khan was wounded in the foot and was not seriously hurt.
“He is being taken to a hospital in Lahore, but he is not seriously wounded. A bullet hit him in the leg,” Umar told reporters. According to the Interior Ministry, the government has ordered a probe into the incident.
An unspecified number of supporters from his Tehreek-e-Insaf party who were part of the march were also wounded, according to the announcement from the party.
District police officer Ghazanfar Ali said one person was killed and nine others were wounded in the attack.
The attack happened in the Wazirabad district in the eastern Punjab province. Khan was travelling in a large convoy of trucks and cars heading toward the capital, Islamabad, as part of his campaign aimed at forcing the government to hold early elections.
Khan, 70, was later seen with a bandage on his foot. He was moved to another vehicle from his container truck, from where announcements were being made that he was safe.
Pakistan has had a history of political violence, with leaders such as Benazir Bhutto and Salman Taseer having been assassinated, while others such as Pervez Musharraf survived attempts on their lives.
Among the wounded was Faisal Javed, a lawmaker from Tehreek-e-Insaf. In a video statement, with blood staining his clothes, Javed insisted that Khan’s protest march to Islamabad would not stop.
The identity of the gunman, who was arrested at the scene, was not immediately known. No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the violence “in the strongest words” and sent his prayers for Khan’s recovery, while Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan demanded a report from the police about the incident while also condemning the attack.
I condemn the incident of firing on PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the strongest words. I have directed Interior Minister for an immediate report on the incident. <br><br>I pray for the recovery and health of PTI chairman & other injured people. 1/2
—@CMShehbaz
Journalist killed in accident at recent rally
Khan was barred from holding public office last month by an election tribunal, which found him guilty of unlawfully selling gifts from foreign dignitaries.
In April, he was ousted after 3½ years as prime minister. Since then, he and his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have been holding large rallies demanding elections.
Last week, female journalist Sadaf Naeem was crushed to death by a vehicle carrying Khan at one such event in eastern Pakistan. The incident prompted Khan to halt the “long march” that began in Lahore and is heading toward Islamabad to pressure the federal government.
PTI has said Khan was willing to negotiate with Sharif’s coalition government if it announced a date for a snap election. The government says elections will be held as scheduled in October or November next year.
Khan has alleged that his ouster was a conspiracy engineered by Sharif, as well as the United States — claims that both the new premier and Washington have denied.
Before entering the country’s divisive politics, Khan was revered for leading the national team that won the 1992 cricket World Cup.
It was not immediately known if Khan’s convoy would proceed to Islamabad.
