Firing on Imran Khan: India Closely Watching
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 3: India is closely keeping an eye on the developments in Pakistan following the alleged assassination bid on the former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party at Wazirabad near Gujranwala in Punjab province on Thursday.
Khan, who received bullet wounds on his leg was later shifted to a Lahore hospital after initial treatments locally and was declared out of danger while at least four of his supporters were also injured in the attack while 13 others in the crowd including a 13-year old boy were also injured. The 35 year old Moazzam was killed in the attack while the boy who received bullets in his abdomen was stated to be critical.
Speaking at a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “It’s a development that just took place. We’re closely keeping an eye on and we’ll continue to monitor ongoing developments. Don’t have anything beyond that to say as it’s just a developing story,” he added.
The attacker, who was overpowered by Khan’s supporters and later handed over to the police, said he “wanted to kill Imran Khan only.” The gunman fired from a pistol from the left side of where Imran Khan was standing. A party worker grabbed his forearm and dragged him to the ground.
He later told police on camera that he was not backed by anyone. “I wanted to kill Imran Khan as he’s been misleading the people,” he was seen speaking in a video released by the police. There were unconfirmed reports of another gunman, with an automatic rifle, at the spot but there was no trace of him. The attacker, a young man, fired pistol shots from below at Imran Khan as he stood atop a container-truck, which serves as the centrepiece of his ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ (True Freedom) March against the Shehbaz Sharif government.
In a tweet, Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi called it “a heinous assassination attempt”. “I thank Allah that he is safe but injured with few bullets in his leg & hopefully non-critical,” he tweeted.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the firing and directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report from the police and administration. According to the interior ministry, Sharif has ordered an immediate probe into the incident.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of the PPP, whose mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in similar firing, said: “I strongly condemn the attack on Imran Khan. I am praying for his swift recovery.” Federal government will extend all support necessary to Punjab government for security & investigation. Violence should have no place in our country’s politics,” he said.
The PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry called it a “clear assassination attempt”. “Khan was hit but he’s stable. There was a lot of bleeding,” he said. “If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out.”
Khan, leading the march since Friday, is campaigning for snap elections after being ousted from office in April. A bullet reportedly landed on his shin, Chaudhry said.
