ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s anti-government protest march to the Pakistani capital will resume today, Thursday, exactly a week after was brought to a halt by a failed assasination attempt on the ex-premier.
Khan, who was leading a motorized convoy of supporters from Lahore to Islamabad, when a gun man opened fire at the rally last Thursday in the city of Wazirabad. One person was killed and at least 10, including Khan, were injured.
The former prime minister has blamed three officials for plotting to kill him: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Maj. Gen. Faisal Naseer, the counterintelligence chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency.
Khan has, however, not yet provided evidence to back his allegations. The government and military have both vehemently denied his allegations.
“Tomorrow, God willing, our march will resume from the same place [where it came to a halt due to the gun attack] in Wazirabad and I will address my supporters at 4:30 pm,” Khan said in a video message on Wednesday.
He urged people to join his march in large numbers, stressing that he was undertaking the campaign for their benefit.
Khan, who claims he knew about the attempt on his life in advance, has vowed to disclose another person’s name who was also allegedly involved in last week’s gun attack.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman said he would reveal “the name of the second officer who was sitting with [Major] General Faisal [Naseer] in the control room from around 12 noon to 5 p.m. monitoring the execution of the plot.”
Ousted via a parliamentary vote of confidence in April, Khan has accused PM Sharif’s government of conspiring with Washington to remove him from office. The allegation has been rejected strongly by the government and the US.
Khan has since refused to recognize Sharif’s government and has held nationwide rallies demanding snap elections. After Sharif repeatedly rejected his demand, the PTI chairman vowed to force the government to declare a date for early elections by arriving at the capital with thousands of supporters and staging protests.
Khan launched what is known as a long-march protest rally from Lahore to the capital on Oct. 28.
