Latest Pakistan updates: Imran Khan shot and wounded at rally
Pakistan news from November 3: Politician out of danger but one of his supporters killed in attack on protest march.
- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shot and slightly wounded in the leg, in an attack on his protest march in the country’s east.
- One of Khan’s supporters was killed in the shooting in Wazirabad, officials say. Several officials of Khan’s PTI party were also injured.
- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shot and slightly wounded in the leg, in an attack on his protest march in the country’s east.
- One of Khan’s supporters was killed in the shooting in Wazirabad, officials say. Several officials of Khan’s PTI party were also injured.
- Current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the shooting and ordered the interior minister to seek an immediate investigation.
- Khan, who has been taken to hospital for medical treatment, was leading a protest march on the capital, Islamabad, to demand snap elections.
The live blog is now closed. Thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for November 3.
Chief Punjab minister says multiple assailants a possibility
Chief minister of Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, has said that it initially appeared that there were two assailants.
Elahi, whose office is in the province in which Khan’s party is in power and where the shooting occurred, said he was forming a joint investigation team.
Witnesses reported having heard gunfire before the man who was later arrested opened fire.
“I heard a burst of bullet shots after which I saw Imran Khan and his aides fall down on the truck,” witness Qazzafi Butt told Reuters.
“Later, a gunman shot a single shot but was grabbed by an activist of Khan’s party.”
Tear gas fired against protesters near Islamabad
Tear gas has been fired on protesters at a major intersection between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder has said.
“Khan has appealed to the protesters to remain peaceful and said that people should not take matters into their own hands,” Hyder reported from Islamabad, adding that PTI members intended to continue the march.
He said observers in Pakistan have been pointing to discrepancies between the footage of the attack, where rounds of automatic gunfire appeared to have been shot, and the arrest of a lone attacker armed with a handgun who claimed to have acted on his own.
White House ‘strongly’ condemns attack on Pakistan’s Imran Khan
The United States has condemned the attack and called on the parties to remain peaceful.
“The United States strongly condemns the attack on Imran Khan and his supporters and hopes for the swift recovery of all who were injured,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Khan’s first wife thanks man who tackled Khan’s shooter
First wife Jemima Goldsmith has expressed relief at the news that Khan survived a shooting incident and extended her family’s gratitude to the man who tackled the attacker, potentially saving the former prime minister’s life.
“The news we dread … Thank God he’s okay,” Goldsmith, who lives in the UK, wrote on Twitter. “And thank you from his sons to the heroic man in the crowd who tackled the gunman.”
Hero 🙏🏼🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/mqTXPdWxjH
— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) November 3, 2022
Khan aide accuses PM, officials of being behind assassination attempt
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar has said in a video statement that he believed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullahand and intelligence official Major-General Faisal Naseer to be behind the attack.
“Our demand is that all three be removed, and if they are not removed, then there will be country-wide protests,” he said.
He did not provide any evidence to back the allegation.
Umar also said doctors had told him that Khan was out of danger.
Pakistani government sets up committee to negotiate with Khan: Analyst
The Pakistani government has formed a committee to negotiate with Khan following the shooting incident, Pakistan affairs expert Shiraz Paracha told Al Jazeera, but the PTI leader has yet to agree to talks.
“The first step now is a dialogue between the government and the opposition – which is Imran Khan,” Paracha said. “That’s the only way forward.”
The analyst added that Khan and his associates had not taken any security measures at the march, where many were carrying guns.
“Such incident is unfortunate, but was not unexpected,” he said.
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai says violence ‘never acceptable’
Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says violence should never be acceptable.
“Attacks on leaders of any political belief or party are always wrong. And violence is never an acceptable protest,” she wrote on Twitter. “Wishing Imran Khan a full recovery.”
Attacks on leaders of any political belief or party are always wrong. And violence is never an acceptable protest. Wishing @ImranKhanPTI a full recovery.
— Malala (@Malala) November 3, 2022
Yousafzai and two other girls were shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism in 2012, when she was aged 15. She was hit in the head but survived the attempted murder.
Several Pakistani and foreign leaders have commented after Khan was wounded in the leg.
Read the story here.
Canadian PM says attack ‘completely unacceptable’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the attack on Khan and his supporters was “completely unacceptable”.
“I strongly condemn this violence,” he said on Twitter. “It has no place in politics, in any democracy, or in our society.
“I’m wishing a speedy recovery to Imran and all who were injured today.”
The attack on @ImranKhanPTI and his supporters is completely unacceptable, and I strongly condemn this violence. It has no place in politics, in any democracy, or in our society. I’m wishing a speedy recovery to Imran and all who were injured today.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 3, 2022
Khan stable and conscious: Doctor
Khan is in stable condition and conscious after being shot in the leg, the head of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital says.
Speaking to reporters, Faisal Sultan said there were bullet fragments in the PTI leader’s leg and his tibia bone was chipped.
“This is only the initial assessment, and we are taking him to the operation theatre for detailed evaluation,” he said.
Sultan added that a four-member medical board has been formed to monitor and evaluate Khan’s health.
Pakistani army condemns ‘firing incident’
The Pakistani army has issued a statement saying the “firing incident” at the protest march “was highly condemnable”.
“Sincere prayers for the precious life lost and speedy recovery and wellbeing of Chairman PTI Mr Imran Khan and all those injured in this unfortunate incident,” the statement said.
Videos show chaotic scenes as Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan sustained a bullet wound in his leg.
Khan, who was leading a protest march to call for early elections, is said to be in stable condition. pic.twitter.com/ftBvr4AzF2
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 3, 2022
Suspect says Khan ‘misled people’ in purported footage of shooting
TV channels have run footage purportedly showing Khan’s suspected shooter with a handgun being grabbed from behind by one of the people at the rally before he tried to flee.
The gunman, who looked to be in his twenties or thirties, said he wanted to kill Khan and had acted alone.
“He [Khan] was misleading the people, and I couldn’t bear it,” the suspect said in the video.
The information minister confirmed the footage was recorded by police.
Fawad Chaudhry, a spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told Reuters that “if the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out”.
He added the incident “was a clear assassination attempt”.
Arrested gunman says Khan was the only target
Pakistani police have released a video of a gunman who was arrested at the scene of Khan’s shooting.
The suspect, identified as Faisal Butt by Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, allegedly confessed and said he had acted alone.
“Only Imran Khan was my target,” the suspect said.
It was not clear under what conditions he made his statement.
Khan supporter killed in shooting: Official
Syed Ali Zafar, a senator and senior PTI leader, says one of Khan’s supporters was killed in the shooting.
“One person has been killed and my heart goes out to the family. He was a participant in this peaceful march,” he told Al Jazeera.
Ali Zafar described the shooting as “a very tragic, sad and horrible incident” that “shocked the nation”.
“The ex-prime minister is stable and has just checked into the hospital. He is apparently all right but, nonetheless, the issue is very serious. It can have very serious repercussions in the future politics of Pakistan,” he said.
He added that the other senior party leaders who were also wounded were “stable and as fine as possible in the circumstances”.
District police officer Ghazanfar Ali said one person was killed and nine others were wounded in the attack.
Officials condemn ‘assassination attempt’ against Khan
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he “strongly condemns” the attack against Khan and will seek an immediate report of the incident from the interior minister.
“Violence should have no place in national politics,” Sharif said.
President Arif Alvi called the incident a “heinous assassination attempt” and said he would pray for Khan’s speedy recovery.
Shadana Gulzar Khan, a former National Assembly member, told Al Jazeera that Pakistan had suffered enough bloodshed in recent decades and that it was unlikely that Khan would seek an escalation.
“It is highly unlikely that Khan will ever give the call for violence,” Gulzar Khan said.
Police to AJ: Gunman arrested, no deaths reported so far
One gunman has been arrested at the scene, Wazirabad police tell Al Jazeera.
Police also confirmed that multiple people were wounded in the shooting but no deaths have been reported so far.
Local media showed footage of the attacker raising a gun before being stopped by a young man identified only as Ibtisam.
Speaking to reporters, he said he was standing next to the container carrying Khan when he saw a man walking towards it and drawing a gun.
“He loaded the magazine and was preparing to fire,” Ibtisam said. “I approached him when he shot one bullet in air. I pulled at him, which caused his aim to go awry. He then tried to run away, but people went after him, and we managed to stop him.”
Tensions escalate as protesters block roads: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, says “considerable anger” is mounting in the streets in the aftermath of Khan’s shooting.
“We are getting preliminary reports of protesters blocking roads, burning tyres, and this, of course, could escalate into something big,” he said.
Hyder added that party members believe the attack had been orchestrated by elements within the government, but no evidence was presented.
The interior minister said he feared Khan’s march would end in bloodshed because of reports of weapons smuggling. So far, the government has provided no proof of the smuggling allegations, Hyder said.
‘Aggressive reaction’ after Khan shooting
A Pakistani political analyst says that while Khan supporters have had an “aggressive reaction” to the shooting, PTI party leaders will likely calm the situation after the “shock”.
“Imran himself spoke on whether this would be a soft revolution or a bloody one in a tweet, but so far, disorganisation aside, the long march had been pretty peaceful, but obviously, what happened today is very different,” said Arifa Noor, who is also a columnist for the Dawn newspaper.
“Nobody expected it to be like this, to have gunshots fired at a former prime minister, considering just back in 2007 we lost a very popular leader through this kind of violence,” Noor told Al Jazeera.
“Right now there is an immediate reaction from supporters of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf, and it is an aggressive reaction. But hopefully once the leadership recovers from the shock – because at the moment it seems they are all rushing to where the former prime minster has been taken for treatment – they will try and keep their supporters calm and prevent the kind of violence that broke out in Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated back in 2007.”
PTI official shot twice will survive, senior party leader says
Senior PTI leader Hammad Azhar confirms that party member Ahmed Chattha suffered non-life threatening injuries after being shot and wounded.
“I am with Ahmed Chattha,” Azhar wrote on Twitter. “He is out of danger. He has 2 gunshot wounds, one in each thigh. The wounds are not deep and he is being operated upon to remove the bullets.”
I am with Ahmed Chattha. He is out of danger. He has 2 gunshot wounds, one in each thigh. The wounds are not deep and he is being operated upon to remove the bullets.
— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) November 3, 2022
Elections should be held after assassination attempt: Analyst
Khan’s shooting underscores growing political instability in Pakistan with both the government and the former leader refusing to back down from their positions.
The powerful military has said that while Khan had a democratic right to hold a rally in Islamabad, no one would be allowed to destabilise the country. Authorities in Islamabad have already deployed additional security around the city to deter any violence.
“The question that is being asked again and again is if we are a parliamentary system, and if this is to be a civilian government, then let the electoral process continue, let the country go to general elections,” said Asad Ramin Khan, a political analyst based in Lahore. “And what we are seeing in terms of the public’s loss of faith, I fear, will be exacerbated by today’s assassination attempt.”
One attacker killed; another arrested, Khan aide says
A senior aide Raoof Hasan said one of the gunmen who shot Khan was killed and another was arrested by police.
“This was an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him,” Hasan said, adding that one alleged attacker had been shot dead and a second was taken into custody.
Each day, during his so-called “long march”, Khan has mounted a shipping container towed by a truck, making speeches from the open top to crowds of thousands in cities and towns along the way.
Fears of instability after Khan attacked
Concerns are rising over the fallout from Khan’s shooting, Asad Ramin Khan, a political analyst based in Lahore, tells Al Jazeera.
“There is a fear what we are seeing over the past several months, post the vote of no confidence which removed Mr Khan from power, that the sequence of events will further gain momentum in terms of instability, in terms of a lot more fear and a lot more political uncertainty as regards next year’s elections.”
Khan colleagues wounded; conditions unclear
A member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said several other party members were wounded in the shooting.
“A man opened fire with an automatic weapon. Several people are wounded,” party official Asad Umar said.
PTI spokesmen Fawad Chaudhry said party member Faisal Javed also received bullets wounds. Javed, who had bloodstains on his clothes, told Geo TV from the hospital: “Several of our colleagues are wounded. We heard that one of them is dead.”
Imran Khan slightly wounded in the leg
Khan was travelling in a large convoy of trucks and cars heading towards the capital, Islamabad, as part of his campaign aimed at forcing the government to hold early elections when he was targeted.
Khan was later seen with a bandage on his right leg, just above the foot, according to reports. He was moved to another vehicle from his container truck, from where announcements were being made that he was safe.
“He is being taken to a hospital in Lahore, but he is not seriously wounded. A bullet hit him in the leg,” party official Asad Umar told reporters.
Ex-Pakistan leader Imran Khan shot
A man opened fire at a campaign truck carrying Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, wounding him slightly and some of his supporters.
Party official Asad Umar said Khan was wounded in the leg and was not seriously hurt. The identity of the attacker, who was arrested at the scene, was not immediately known.
No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting.