ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was wounded on Thursday (Nov 3) when his convoy was shot at in the country’s east, an aide said.
“A man opened fire with an automatic weapon. Several people are wounded. Imran Khan is also injured,” party official Asad Umar told Reuters. Khan was taken to hospital.
Former cricketer Khan, 70, was leading a protest march on Islamabad to demand snap elections.
Asad Umar says Khan was wounded in the foot and was not seriously hurt. The identity of the gunman, who was arrested at the scene, was not immediately known. No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
The attack happened in the Wazirabad district in the eastern Punjab province. Khan was travelling in a large convoy of trucks and cars heading towards the capital, Islamabad, as part of his campaign aimed at forcing the government to hold early elections.
Khan with 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. Some of the supporters from his Tehreek-e-Insaf party were also wounded, according to the announcement.
The attack happened less than a week after Khan began his march from Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, along with thousands of supporters. Since his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, Khan has alleged that his ouster was a conspiracy engineered by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the United States – claims that both the new premier and Washington have denied.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the shooting and ordered the interior minister to seek an immediate investigation.