Imran Khan survives assassination attempt at PTI's long march

PTI chief Imran Khan, Senator Faisal Javed and several other party leaders were among those wounded in gunfire on the long march container at Wazirabad’s Allah Wala Chowk on Thursday.

The attack, characterised by the PTI as “targeted”, has triggered widespread condemnation from across the political divide.

There were also reports of the death of 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. The assailant was reportedly subdued.

Senator Javed, who was also wounded and had blood stains on his clothes, “Several of our colleagues are wounded. We heard that one of them is dead.”

According to PTI’s Imran Ismail, the party chief reportedly “received three to four bullets in his leg” while Javed was grazed by a bullet, according to Hammad Azhar.

“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 car and taken to a nearby hospital 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.

Footage on television showed an injured Imran Khan waving to supporters after reportedly being shot and then being carried to his bulletproof pickup truck.

In separate footage broadcast on television, one alleged assailant could be seen being subdued by party supporters and subsequent photos showed him being taken away but what looked like policemen

PTI condemns the “assassination attack”

PTI’s Farrukh Habib confirmed that the party chairman was injured.

Shortly after the “assassination attempt”, PTI’s official account shared a video of Javed — who had bandages on his face and clothes were blood-stained — asking people to pray for Imran.

PTI’s Shahbaz Gill blamed PML-N’s Rana Sana for the attack as “he was giving threats of a fatal attack for many days by saying words like ’crushing the head”.

PTI’s Shireen Mazari also reiterated the allegation of Gill while also saying, “The string pullers, the establishment will also be held responsible by the nation for this murderous attack on Imran Khan.”

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.