Attacks on politicians are not new in Pakistan, the country has a vast history of assassination attempts on politicians from the country’s first prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan to Benazir Bhutto.
In the latest attack on the mainstream political leadership of the country, a gunman in Punjab’s Wazirabad opened fire at a campaign truck carrying former Prime Minister Imran Khan, wounding him in the leg and killing one of his supporters, his party and police said. Seven other people also were hurt.
The gunman was immediately arrested at the scene, and police later released a video of him in custody, allegedly confessing to the shooting and saying he acted alone. It was not clear under what conditions he made his statement. “Only Imran Khan was my target,” said the suspect.
The federal government had been repeatedly saying that there was a threat of attack on the PTI rally even before the commencement of the march. The government-allied parties, President Arif Alvi, PM Shehbaz Sharif and others have also condemned the incident and summoned an inquiry report into the incident.
The attack raised new concerns about growing political instability in Pakistan since Khan’s ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April. While the ousted prime minister has blamed Shahbaz Sharif and the military, the truth remains shrouded in mystery with calls for investigations unlikely to clear the picture. Pakistan stands at the cusp of dangerous times and it is up to all stakeholders to settle things for the sake of this country urgently.
