ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party has called for a nationwide protest after the Friday prayers over a gun attack a day earlier that killed a man and injured the ex-premier among 14 others near the eastern city of Wazirabad. 

The attack occurred as Khan led his caravan through a crowd of supporters toward the capital, in a bid to pressure the government into announcing snap polls in the South Asian country. 

Soon after the shooting, Khan was whisked by his affiliates to the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore, where Dr. Faisal Sultan, who is heading a medical team treating him, told media Khan was “stable.” 

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has said that it would hold countrywide protests on Friday against the attack on the former premier. 

“Today, after the Friday prayer, there will be a protest across the country,” Asad Umar, a close aide of Khan, said on Twitter. 

“Until Imran Khan’s demand is met, nationwide protests will continue.” 

Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April, has been rallying supporters to Islamabad from Lahore since October 28. 

He was expected to reach the capital by November 11. 

Ali Amin Gandapur, another member of Khan’s PTI party, called for the resignation of PM Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general for counter intelligence. 

“Three people should resign starting from General Faisal followed by Shehbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah or we will cross everyone red lines and red zones from now onwards,” Gandapur said on Twitter. 

“ENOUGH is ENOUGH.” 

Khan has previously accused Naseer and the ISI’s Islamabad sector commander, Brig. Fahim Raza, of a crackdown on his party, including custodial torture of some of his affiliates. 

Uncertainty clouded the Pakistani capital on Friday as majority of private schools remained closed and switched to online classes, while security was beefed up across Islamabad to deal with any untoward situation. 

The Islamabad police said in a statement that entry to the capital’s Red Zone, which houses important buildings like parliament, Supreme Court, Prime Minister’s Secretariat and others, was closed for traffic at two points. 

They advised the public to use the Margalla Road, Ayub Chowk and Serena Chowk to travel to the Red Zone. 

The Islamabad district administration said it had created a “sub-jail/judicial lock-up” in the city to “detain or keep the miscreants who might be arrested during law-and-order situation.” 

Top PTI leaders are expected to meet Khan in Lahore on Friday to decide the future course of action regarding their march on Islamabad. 

Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, a senior party figure, said on Twitter their march would continue until the government announces elections. 

Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has instructed the provincial police to form a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the attack on PTI’s caravan in Wazirabad. 

According to a press handout, officials of the counter-terrorism department will be part of the team that will investigate motives behind the incident. 

“We want to know who is behind the incident, who trained the accused, how much money was he given and where did he get it from,” the chief minister said. 

Elahi said apparently the attack involved two hitmen, not one.