Imran Khan survives assassination attempt at ‘Haqeeqi Long March’
Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan survived an assassination attempt on Day 7 of the party’s ‘Haqeeqi Long March’ and is currently undergoing medical treatment in Shaukat Khanum Hospital Lahore.
Imran’s container came under attack as it moved through Punjab’s Wazirabad town. He sustained a bullet wound to the leg while other party leaders and supporters were also injured in the attack – reportedly carried out by a lone gunman.
Former health minister Dr Faisal Sultan, talking to the media, said medical examination has revealed bullet fragments and a slight chip in the tibia due to the bullet injury. He added Imran was coherent and was given pain medication during the emergency examination.
Senior party leader and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also confirmed that Imran was “out of danger” and said the attack did not target only Imran, but the “entire Pakistani nation”.
Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, after visiting Imran khan in hospital, said Imran was doing well and he is determined “not to back down”.
Elahi said he has asked the provincial IG to form a JIT “at our level” to determine “who all are behind this attack and who are involved in training him [alleged attacker]”.
Party leader Fawad Chaudhry said it was a ‘targeted attack’. Speaking to a private news channel, he said three people were injured in the attack, including Ahmad Chattha and Faisal Javed.
Senator and party leader Faisal Javed was also injured with a bullet reportedly grazing his cheek.
Faisal, speaking from the hospital, said that a PTI worker was killed during the attack, while another was severely injured. He prayed for the well-being and protection of Imran and everyone else.
Fawad, calling the attack a ‘well-planned assassination attempt’, claimed that the plan was to kill Imran and the leadership of the party.
Rubbishing conflicting reports, he said that the weapon used was not of the 9mm caliber, but “was a burst from an automatic weapon” and that it “was a narrow escape”.
Another PTI leader, Iftikhar Durrani, said the “last option remaining for any regime is elimination”. Speaking after the attack on the party chief, Durrani said a “cracker was fired first, then a diversion with a pistol was created, and then Imran was targeted by an automatic weapon”.
“This regime change that they did, its handlers and facilitators, this is an area which should be secured as the GT Road is our secure line and an attack at such a place is a cause for concern for all government authorities.”
The PTI leader also urged party supporters to continue the long march.
Imran, through his party leadership, has alleged that PM Shehbaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a military official are involved in the attack. He has demanded their removal or else the party would give a call for protest.
PTI leaders have also revealed that PTI wants an FIR against these three people.
PTI leader Asad Umar, reacting to the assassination attack, said those who want to stop Imran were unable to do so, hence, the “cowards tried to martyr him”.
“Khan is under the shadow of Allah and He is yet to task the people’s Kaptaan.”
Party leader Hammad Azhar said PTI’s Ahmed Chattha was shot twice and is not “out of danger”.
Hammad said the PTI leader suffered two gunshot wounds, one in each thigh, and is being operated upon. He added that wounds “are not deep”.
The PTI chief, seemingly in good spirits after the attack on his life, was seen waving to party supporters soon after the attack.
Minister interior Rana Sanaullah has demanded Punjab government constitute a high-level joint-investigation team (JIT) to probe the attack on the PTI chairperson.
Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi has taken notice of the attack on PTI Chairperson Imran Khan’s container and instructed the province’s top cop to submit a report after investigation.
Elahi said that those “behind the incident will be brought to justice”. He also instructed local authorities to provide the best possible medical care to the injured.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the attack on Imran and condemned the incident. He instructed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to get an immediate report from the chief secretary of Punjab and the IGP.
The premier further said that the federal government will extend “all support necessary” to the provincial government for security and investigation of the incident.
Raising a question on the number of shots fired during the assassination attempt on the PTI chief Imran khan, senior journalist Hamid Mir said that how come 14 people sustained bullet injuries with a gun.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday announced that it will construct a tent village to accommodate its supporters and workers after the Haqeeqi Azadi march reaches its final destination.
In a high-level meeting presided by party Secretary-General Asad Umar, the PTI decided to set up the “largest tent village in history” to accommodate “hundreds of thousands” of participants in the long march.
Moreover, a “completely safe and well-equipped separate accommodation for women is also complete”, a statement from the PTI’s central media department detailed. Parking for thousands of vehicles will also be arranged.
According to the statement, separate sections will be allocated for food preparation in the tent settlement, with large stores will be built for the storage of food and bedding. Additionally, hundreds of toilets will also be constructed.
“Special medical camps will be set up at various places in the tent settlement,” it detailed.
The party’s official Twitter handle stated that “a comprehensive plan has been prepared for the accommodation and food for hundreds of thousands of people”.
The PTI resumed its Haqeeqi Azadi March to the federal capital from Wazirabad on Thursday, the seventh day of the long march.
The party’s official Twitter handle announced that party chief and deposed premier Imran Khan will spend the day in Wazirabad.
According to PTI leader Hammad Azhar, the rally will continue from Kot Khizri in Wazirabad from 1 pm today.
The PTI detailed the seventh day’s route, maintaining that the march would begin at Kot Khizri, move to Maulana Zafar Ali Chowk, and conclude the day at Kacchari Chowk in Wazirabad,PTI’s Twitter stated that the march would pass through various points of Wazirabad city GT Road and mobilise citizens.
Former information minister and party member Fawad Chaudhry stated that the conditions presented by the federal government for the PTI’s rally in Islamabad were “ridiculous”.
Addressing a presser, Fawad advised the advocate general of Punjab to immediately “diagnose the mental capacity” of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and the advocate general of Islamabad.
“This procession is not of the PML-N or PPP where a few people sit and talk to each other. We have hundreds of thousands of people in attendance who will not be able to hear without a speaker,” he said.
He hoped that the court would take notice and allow them their “right to protest under Article 17”.
Fawad further said that Imran and his supporters would march to Islamabad after reaching Rawat. He added that the march would have 1-1.5 million people in the federal capital fighting for Haqeeqi Azadi.
The former minister also explained Imran’s comment that the march would last 10 months, clarifying that the PTI leader’s stamina was enough to last the duration but the incumbent government could not last that long.
“The complete context of his statement was missing,” he said.
He claimed that the government’s days in power were numbered and that they would not last longer than 10-15 days.
He maintained that PTI personnel and supporters were not carrying any weapons, adding that women and children were present at the march.
PTI leader Farrukh Habib took to his Twitter handle to claim that the federal capital of the country had been “turned into a city of containers by the imported government”.
“The imported government has no credibility among the people, this hybrid system of government is harming the country,” he said, asking the government to respect the will of the people and hold early elections.
PTI leader Asad Umar stated that he had reviewed long march preparations by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Sargodha divisions.
“After observing the people’s passion, and the preparations of organisations and parliamentary members, there is no doubt that November 11 will be a historic gathering in Islamabad,” he said.
The party’s caravan from Sindh, led by PTI Sindh President Ali Haider Zaidi, reached Gujrat last night, and will be joining the long march in Wazirabad.
Zaidi thanked Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Moonis Elahi for the “warm welcome” and for “making comfortable arrangements” for the convoy.
A day earlier, PTI chief Imran Khan said that his ‘Haqeeqi Azadi Movement’ would continue till the announcement of free and fair elections in the country.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its judgement on a PTI plea against the government’s delay in issuing a no objection certificate (NOC) to the party for a sit-in and protest in the federal capital.
During the hearing presided over by Justice Aamer Farooq, Advocate General Islamabad Jahangir Khan Jadoon started his arguments by reading the Supreme Court judgment of May 25.
Justice Farooq reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.
The Islamabad administration also prepared an affidavit to be signed by the PTI chief which outlined conditions for the march.
