ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Friday the government was trying to give “religious color” to the assassination attempt against its top leader, as supporters of the ex-premier staged nationwide protests.
Khan was shot in the leg on Thursday and injured in an apparent attempt on his life as he waved to crowds from atop a truck-mounted container as he led a protest march to Islamabad to pressure the government to announce early elections.
The police arrested the suspected shooter before releasing his video statement in which he said he had acted alone and wanted to kill Khan for “misleading people.” He also objected to the use of sound system by members of the PTI caravan, saying they were making “noise” amid the call to prayers.
Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday Khan had crossed the “red lines of religion” in his speeches at rallies, which was why a fanatic attacked him.
However, a top PTI leader condemned such statements after the party held a meeting in Lahore in which its members were given updates on Khan’s health in the wake of the shooting.
“The meeting condemned the conspiracy to give a religious color to this incident of attempted murder,” said Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, the party vice president, in a string of Twitter posts. “In this regard, the statements of certain journalists in the social media and the media and the video leaks of the accused were reviewed.”
Hussain said PTI leaders at the meeting expressed disappointment over the performance of the inspector general police in Punjab province in the wake of the security lapse while demanding his “immediate replacement.”
He said Khan was the head of Pakistan’s “largest and only federal party,” adding that an attack on him was an “attack on Pakistan.”
The PTI vice president reiterated that the shooting incident to target former prime minister Khan was masterminded by top government and intelligence officials while demanding their removal.
“The [PTI] leadership examined the background of the attack in detail, and described it as a prelude to a well-thought-out conspiracy, the masterminds of the attack being the three main suspects, Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer,” he added. “Without removing them from their posts, it is not possible to proceed with the investigation.”
Hussain said Khan would address the nation later today, Friday, and the party would not abandon its anti-government protest.
Earlier in the day, the PTI also gave call for a nationwide protest after the Friday prayers which was followed by major demonstrations in various cities.
On Friday evening, a group of protesters gathered in front of the Governor House in Lahore where they chanted slogans against the federal administration and burnt tires.
According to the visuals on national news channels, the building was locked from inside while the police tried to disperse the angry protesters.
Violent demonstrations were also seen near Faizabad, which links the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, after a major thoroughfare, Murree Road, was blocked by the protesters on both sides.
The police fired teargas to stop protesters from entering the federal capital, forcing them to return to Rawalpindi.
“We are here to express solidarity with our leader,” Malik Aamir Ali, a PTI official leading the demonstrators at Faizabad, told Arab News. “Islamabad Police have been firing tear gas on our peaceful protesters to disperse us, but they cannot deter us through such tactics.”
Islamabad police said in a statement that cases would be registered against all those involved in “illegal activities.”
“The pelting of stones [on law enforcers at Faizabad from protesters] in the presence of public representatives is unfortunate,” police said.
Similar scenes were also witnessed in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi where protesters gathered at Shahrah-e-Faisal.
Police fired tear gas at demonstrators and arrested marchers.
