Former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. Photo: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has spoken out for the first time since he was shot in the leg on Thursday, November 3, during a rally in Punjab province, reported local media.
Khan addressed his supporters from a hospital in the city of Lahore, where he is recovering from his injuries. Sitting in a wheelchair with his right foot in a cast, he said that the attack was part of a plot to assassinate him and that he had learned a day earlier that they were planning to kill him “somewhere between Wazirabad and Gujranwala.”
عمران خان وہیل چیئر پر خطاب کےلئے آئے، ٹانگوں پر پلستر۔#ImranKhan pic.twitter.com/cbwRK2X18Q
— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) November 4, 2022
“Four people conspired to kill me. I made a video where I reveal the names of those people and I hid it abroad,” Khan revealed, adding that the recording will be made public in case something happens to him.
In this regard, Khan stated that, apart from the individuals he names on the tape, the country’s current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif; the Minister of the Interior Rana Sanaullah; and Intelligence officer Major General Faisal were also behind the plan against him. However, he did not provide evidence for this claim.
Describing the attack, Khan said he heard a “burst of bullets” and felt stabbing pain after four bullets hit his thigh and shin and caused him to fall to the ground.
“Because I fell, I think the shooter thought I was dead,” he said, and added that he thought there were two shooters because he immediately heard shots again. He believes that if the two bursts had been in succession, he would not have survived.
ڈاکٹر فیصل سلطان کی جانب سے عمران خان کو گولی لگنے سے آئے زخموں پر بریفنگ۔ #ImranKhan pic.twitter.com/rg0By8lfbH
— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) November 4, 2022
A man who was arrested at the scene said he wanted to kill Khan because he believes “he is misleading people.” He also claimed that he had acted alone. In this regard, the former prime minister said, “He is not an extremist. There was a plan behind the attempt, we will find out.”
New protests
The assassination attempt provoked violent protests in Pakistan, with clashes between Imran supporters and the police in various parts of the country. Some protesters threw stones at the police, who responded by firing tear gas.
In this context, Khan called on his supporters and the sympathizers of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to continue the demonstrations. “I will take to the streets immediately after I recover and I will call for a march to Islamabad,” he promised.
The marches are expected to continue until Khan’s demands are met, calling for early elections and the resignation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other members of the government. The current government of Pakistan came into power earlier this year after ousting Imran Khan through a parliamentary coup.
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/RQ/SC
