Imran Khan's supporters hold nationwide protests; Pak govt asks Punjab admin to probe assassination bid

The angry supporters of Imran Khan took to the streets across Pakistan after Friday prayers to protest against the assassination bid on the ousted premier, as Punjab police arrested two more suspects linked to the attack.

While Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party insisted that it was a ''prelude to a well-thought-out conspiracy'', the federal government asked the Punjab provincial government to constitute a high-level joint investigation team (JIT) to bring facts to light.

Khan, 70, suffered a bullet injury in the right leg when a gun-wielding man fired at him in the Wazirabad area of Punjab province, where he was leading a protest march against the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Protests by PTI workers erupted in various cities across the country after the Friday prayers.

Irate protesters blocked the busy Murree Road, the artery of Rawalpindi, which leads to Islamabad.

They also clashed with police at the Faizabad interchange, which connects the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Separately, protests were witnessed outside the Governor House in Lahore, with television footage showing protesters trying to scale the gates of the sprawling premises.

Khan, who was shifted by road to his own Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore on Thursday where an operation was performed and was stable after it, according to party officials.

The party also said that Khan was determined to continue his protest march.

“I will not bow down, but stay determined to bring Haq­eeqi Azadi (real freedom) for my fellow Pakistanis,” the party's official Twitter handle quoted Khan as saying.

Secretary-General of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Asad Umar tweeted that the anti-government protests would continue until their demands are accepted.

He didn not specify the demands but Khan has been demanding fresh elections and launched a long march to Islamabad on October 28 to press the government to accept his demands.

Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader from Khan's party, alleged it was “a planned assassination attempt on Imran Khan and he escaped narrowly”.

''The assassin planned to kill Imran Khan and the leadership of the PTI. It was not 9MM, it was a burst from an automatic weapon. No two opinions that it was a narrow escape,” he tweeted on Thursday.

''The masterminds of the attack being the three main suspects, Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer, and without removing them from their posts. It is not possible to proceed with the investigation,'' he said in a tweet.

During a meeting of the party's senior leadership, the doctors apprised them of the details regarding Khan's surgery, Chaudhry said.

The PTI leader said that there was more than one assailant behind the attack.

Meanwhile, police in Pakistan's Punjab province have arrested two more suspects, who they believe had sold the pistol and bullets for Rs 20,000 to Naveed Mohammad Basheer, the assailant who tried to assassinate Khan, Geo News reported.

Basheer has confessed that he attacked Khan because ''he was trying to mislead the public.'' Quoting police sources, the report said the two other suspects - Waqas and Sajid Butt - sold Basheer a pistol and bullets, adding that the pistol did not have a number or licence.

They two were arrested from Wazirabad, the report said.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry has asked the Punjab provincial government to constitute a high-level joint investigation team (JIT) to bring the facts to light.

In a communique, it asked the provincial government to include senior police officers and intelligence personnel in the JIT.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference with Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Interior Minister Sanaullah said the JIT should consist of senior officers for “credible and transparent inquiry” into the incident. He also assured the provincial government of the center’s “full assistance” in the probe.

The minister also blamed the Punjab government for the security lapse that may have led to the firing. He placed the responsibility for the leaked video of the assailant’s confession on the provincial government’s shoulders as well.

Police officers and other officials in Pakistan's Punjab province have been suspended by chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for leaking the suspected attacker's confessional statement after the gun attack on Khan.

The chief minister said in a statement that all mobile phones of the police station’s staffers were confiscated and they will be sent for a forensic audit.

Khan launched his march on October 28 from Lahore with the aim to reach Islamabad on November 4 to hold a rally for forcing the government to announce fresh elections. The United States on Thursday condemned the attack and said violence has no place in politics and America is deeply committed to a democratic and peaceful Pakistan.

“The United States strongly condemns the shooting of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and others at a political rally. We wish Imran Khan and all others who were injured a quick and thorough recovery, and we offer our condolences to the family of the individual who was killed,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

“Violence has no place in politics, and we call on all parties to refrain from violence, harassment, and intimidation. The United States is deeply committed to a democratic and peaceful Pakistan, and we stand with the Pakistani people,” Blinken said in a statement.