Protests have erupted across Pakistan since the attempted assassination of former prime minister Imran Khan in Wazirabad while he was leading a rally against the ruling government. About a dozen were injured in the attack by two men, although unofficial reports have claimed fatalities. Reports also said that one of the attackers was killed by the mob and Khan’s bodyguards, while the other was taken into custody.
A viral video shows an attacker being coerced by a man – although it is not immediately known whether he was one of Khan’s supporters or a policeman in plainclothes. Little is yet known about the attackers or their motive for the attack, although authorities have identified them as Faisal Butt and Mohammad Naveed.
Naveed is a resident of Sodhra, a small town in Wazirabad tehsil of Gujranwala district of Pakistan. Mohammad Bashir’s son has been arrested with a 9mm pistol and two empty magazines. The report said that another assailant was in possession of an automatic rifle. Khan was shot in the leg, while two of his close associates sustained injuries on their hands and face.
The Naveeds belong to the Arain caste, an influential Punjabi agricultural tribe with a strong political identity and organization, found mainly in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh. Khan Niazi belongs to the Pashtun tribe.
Police are investigating the attack from all angles, although initially, it seemed politically motivated, and the attackers appeared to be guns for hire. Another video of the arrested attacker is viral in which he claims that he had come to kill Khan as he believed that the former PM was “misleading” people. “Sarf Imran Khan ko marna tha (I only came to kill Imran Khan),” said the shooter on camera. He also said that he had come to Gujranwala by bike and dropped it at his uncle’s place.
Khan’s aides have claimed that the attack was carried out by a terrorist organisation. Incidentally, several PTI leaders had earlier claimed that terror groups were involved in Afghanistan to assassinate the former PM.