PM Sharif, Interior Minister involved in assassination plot: Khan
3 Min Read
Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan accuses his successor and the Interior Minister of being involved in his assassination plot.
-
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan during his first appearance following the assassination attempt.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused his successor, PM Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a senior military officer of being involved in the attempt on his life.
PTI chairman Imran Khan survived an attempted assassination on Thursday during a political rally in Gujranwala on his way to Islamabad and was injured in the leg after an anonymous attacker shot his convoy, leading to at least 10 injuries and one person killed.
During his first public appearance following the attack, while sitting in a wheelchair with a cast on his injured leg, the former PM told reporters that "these three decided to kill me," adding that two armed men carried out the assassination attempt.
Read more: Massive demonstrations in support of Imran Khan
According to the administration of Jinnah Hospital, the former PM arrived at the hospital unconscious and with up to 16 wounds on his legs,
The Pakistani government said that attack was carried out by a religious extremist, denying any involvement in the attempt.
Khan intended to gather his supporters and regain popularity, succeeding in attracting a large crowd that demanded early elections be held after he resigned due to a no-confidence vote last April.
Read more: Iran warns against foreign meddling in Pakistan
Since then, Khan has been aiming for legislative elections to take place by October of next year, but a judicial body pertaining to the elections committee announced that the former PM was not qualified to participate as an upcoming candidate or run for office for the next five years. This comes despite Khan's win in the by-elections when he took six out of eight seats in the National Assembly.
A leaked video of a suspect detained by the police shows the attacker stating that Khan "misleading the public" in what appeared to be a confession for the crime.
Read more: Pakistan floods affected 30+ million people
The suspect adds that he was outraged by all the noise caused by the rally that was interrupting the Mosque's calls to prayer.
The Pakistani Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that the assassination attempt was "a very clear case of religious extremism".
Read more: Pakistan summons US Ambassador after Biden's demonizing remarks
"The allegations made by the accused in the video are very alarming and very terrifying," the Minister added.
Khan was Prime Minister from 2018 until April of this year when he was forced to step down after losing a confidence vote that he said was the result of a conspiracy by the US.
#Pakistani PM #ImranKhan said that he has received threats from #Washington due to his rejection of establishing #US military bases in #Pakistan.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 31, 2022
He said he refuses to resign from his position, stressing that he will not kneel for any entity, nor will he allow his people to. pic.twitter.com/2LD4aajwiB
Shehbaz Sharif was elected as Pakistan's new Prime Minister on April 11, 2022, the leader of the centrist PML-N, and was the only candidate after Khan loyalist and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi withdrew his candidacy and resigned his seat.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
