PAKISTAN: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was injured in an apparent “assassination” attempt after a gunman opened fire at his rally in the Wazirabad district of Punjab province on Thursday.
Police have not yet confirmed that he was the target, but a senior aide told the AFP news agency that it was “an attempt to kill him.”
Four more individuals were reportedly harmed in the shooting, according to members of his PTI party.
After being dismissed in April, Khan, 70, led the march on Islamabad’s capital to seek immediate elections.
The former prime minister was observed being transported to a Lahore hospital. He had been struck in the shin, according to a party spokeswoman.
Khan’s condition is stable, according to Yasmeen Rashid, a provincial health minister and another party leader.
According to Pakistan’s Geo TV, a male suspect was later detained.
A recently released video depicts Imran Khan being driven away in a car after the gunshot while still conscious and wearing a bandage on his right leg.
Videos on social media show a PTI member with blood on his clothes and a bandage on his face, pleading with the public to pray for Khan and all the injured.
The shooting was denounced by the current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who also commanded a quick investigation.
The second such protest march this year has been led by Khan, who has been pushing for new elections for the past seven days.
Elections will be held as scheduled in 2019, according to repeated statements from the government.
Khan was barred from running for public office by Pakistan’s electoral board last month in a case that the former All-Star cricketer said had political overtones.
He had been charged with incorrectly disclosing information about presents from foreign dignitaries and the money from their purported sale. Rolex watches, a ring, and a set of cufflinks were among the gifts.
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