Imran Khan accuses Pakistan prime minister following assassination attempt

Supporters of Imran Khan demonstrated across Pakistan on Friday as the former leader and cricket star accused prime minister Shehbaz Sharif of involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate him.

Mr Khan (70), who was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April, was shot in both legs while riding on an open-top truck during a protest march on Thursday. One man was killed and at least 10 wounded in the attack.

In a video address from his hospital room, Mr Khan claimed he had advance knowledge of the attack and that Mr Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer, a senior military official, were involved. He did not provide evidence for the allegations.

In what analysts said was a rare departure from the longstanding tradition of politicians avoiding direct reference to military involvement in politics, Mr Khan called on army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to investigate Mr Naseer, who is a senior officer with the Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

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Popular “hatred” for the army was growing, Mr Khan told Bajwa in the video broadcast. “Will you allow investigation of Major General Faisal [Naseer]? Such black sheep are hurting the army,” he said.

Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership all deny the allegations and have condemned the attack against Mr Khan. Mr Sharif on Thursday ordered an interior ministry report into the incident. “I pray for the recovery and health of the PTI chair and other injured people,” the prime minister said.

Thousands of supporters of Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party gathered in and around major cities including Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi on Friday, following calls from PTI leaders to protest. In some places, demonstrators blocked roads and burned tyres, with police responding by firing tear gas.

Mr Khan, his right leg in a bulky medical cast, said he planned to rejoin a march through Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province by population, to the capital Islamabad. He launched the march on Friday in an effort to rally enough support to topple Sharif as prime minister and force early elections.

“Until I resume the ‘long march’, I call on my supporters to protest,” Khan said.

Mr Khan’s allegations were made in a febrile atmosphere in Pakistan, where a long history of deadly attacks on leaders has fuelled concerns of potential for further violence. Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007.

“The fear was that this would lead to an outbreak of violence,” said Azeema Cheema, a director at Verso Consulting. “Neither the civilian government nor military establishment will escape public blame and criticism for this attack, regardless of the facts about who perpetuated it.”

A suspect in the shooting has been arrested, and in a widely circulated video released by the police, the alleged assailant confesses to trying to kill Khan for “misleading” the people, adding that he acted alone.

Mr Khan’s popularity has surged since he was ousted as prime minister in April, with his relentless criticism of Mr Sharif’s government striking a chord at a time of economic crisis. Mr Khan and his party have also engaged in a highly unusual stand-off with the military, with figures from both sides criticising each other in public.

“As Pakistan’s political divide has sharpened over time, Pakistan’s political rivals have increased their hatred against each other,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst. “This message of hatred has spread across society.”

– Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022