Pakistan military denies ex-PM's claim that it helped orchestrate deadly campaign shooting
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan said Friday he was pausing his march on the capital of Islamabad a day after a gunman opened fire on his campaign convoy, wounding him and killing one of his supporters. Thirteen other people were hurt in the attack.
Khan spoke to reporters late on Friday — his first public remarks since the shooting — and pledged that he will resume his protest once he has recovered from being shot in the right leg, above the ankle.
Khan's protest march and rallies, which started last Friday, were peaceful until Thursday's attack in Wazirabad, a district in eastern Punjab province. The shooting has raised concerns about growing political instability in Pakistan, which has a history of political violence and assassinations.
"As soon as I recover, I have decided that I will be back on the streets and will issue the call for a [march on] Islamabad," Khan said, adding that he knew he could be targeted in an attack.
Sitting in a wheelchair, his right leg bandaged and elevated on a stool, Khan spoke from the Shaukat Khanum hospital, where he had surgery on Thursday night. TV cameras carried his remarks live.
Khan accused Gen. Faisal Naseer — who works for the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency — as well as Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan of orchestrating the shooting. (The interior minister and the former prime minister are not related.)
Khan offered no evidence for his allegations, which were rejected by Sharif's government and dismissed as a "pack of lies" by Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb. The spy agency also dismissed Khan's allegations, saying there was absolutely no truth in them. The military said it has requested legal action against those defaming the army and senior officers with "baseless allegations" devoid of any evidence.
- Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan wounded in lower leg after shooting at rally
The government says it has ordered a high-level probe. The shooter, who was arrested at the scene of the attack, was still being questioned Friday, police said. On Thursday, local police officials released a video showing the man saying he carried out the shooting and acted alone.
Among the 13 wounded were two lawmakers from Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Ghazanfar Ali, a district police chief in Wazirabad, identified the slain man as Mozzam Gondal, who was buried on Friday.
Earlier, Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader from Khan's party, said the party's leadership had "no doubt" the attacker targeted Khan.
"We are convinced that it was a well-planned assassination attempt on Pakistan's most popular leader," he said.