Clarion India
GUJRANWALA — The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and chief of PTI party sustained bullet injuries on his leg after unidentified assailants opened fire on his container near the Allah Ho Chowk in Wazirabad, Pakistan on Thursday, local media reported.
Imran Khan, who is leading the march towards Islamabad against the present government of Shehbaz Sharif, has been shifted to a hospital.
Speaking to Bol TV, PTI leader Imran Ismail said that he was standing next to Khan when the shots were fired.
He added that the attacker was directly in front of the container and was wielding an AK-47, Dawn reported.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry claimed that three persons were hurt in the attack, including Senator Faisal Javed and Ahmad Chattha, in an interview with Aaj TV shortly after the incident.
Reacting to the incident, PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said, “Imran Khan is our red line and an attempt has been made to cross that red line.” He also said that Khan will fight till his last breath.
The suspect who opened fire on Khan’s container has been arrested, according to Police.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the firing incident in Gujranwala and directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report from the inspector-general of police and chief secretary of Punjab, Pakistani media reported.
Khan is leading PTI’s march towards Islamabad which kicked off from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk on October 29. This is the PTI chief’s second long march this year.
Khan, along with his supporters, is expected to stage a sit-in in Islamabad against the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government at the end of the march. PTI has not yet confirmed the date of arrival in Islamabad.
According to Khan, the protest march will continue till the date for elections is announced, The News reported.
Earlier, the plan was to reach Islamabad by November 4. It was later revised to November 8-9 and then again revised to November 11. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry then announced the party will keep changing the date to “tire the government out”.
The political instability in Pakistan has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international rating agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections, The News reported.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed PTI to ensure peace regardless of the location in Islamabad allotted to the party by the government to hold sit-in and ‘jalsa’.
The observation came during the hearing of PTI’s plea against the government for not issuing the party a no-objection certificate for its sit-in in Islamabad.
