Islamabad, Nov 03: PTI chief Imran Khan, Senator Faisal Javed and several other party leaders were among seven people wounded in gunfire on the long march container at Wazirabad’s Allah Wala Chowk on Thursday, media reports said.
The attack, characterised by the PTI as “targeted”, has triggered widespread condemnation from across the political divide, Dawn reports.
The Punjab police have confirmed that a party worker, who was in the city to welcome the caravan — which was there for the party’s second iteration of its “Azadi” march — was killed in the attack. It added that a suspect has been taken into custody from the site.
Senator Javed, who was also wounded and had blood stains on his clothes, told Geo News from the hospital: “Several of our colleagues are wounded. We heard that one of them is dead.”
“It was a clear assassination attempt. Khan was hit but he’s stable. There was a lot of bleeding,” Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters. “If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out.”
Azhar also said that PTI workers Omer Meyer and Rashid also received a gunshot each.
Local PTI members Ahmed Chattha and Chaudhry Yousuf were also injured.
Following the incident, Imran Khan was immediately shifted to a vehicle and evacuated to a hospital — in Lahore, according to Reuters — while other injured people were taken by ambulances to the nearby Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology.
According to rescue officials and PTI, ten people were injured due to the firing, including the PTI officials. Reports also said that one child was included in the injured people.
PTI’s Farrukh Habib confirmed that the party chairman was injured.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of and “severely condemned” the firing incident.
He also instructed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report on the incident from the IGP and chief secretary Punjab.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto condemned the “attack” and prayed for Imran’s “swift recovery”.
PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb announced that Sharif has postponed his scheduled press conference that was to be done about his recent China visit.
PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal said, “Thank God that Imran Khan is safe. There is no place for violence in politics”.
PML-N MPA Hina Pervez Butt also called for the “suspect’s arrest and immediate investigation”.
