WATCH: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan survives ‘assassination attempt’

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and cricketer Imran Khan has survived an assassination attempt.

The 70-year-old Khan was wounded on the foot when shots were fired from the crowd during a political rally near the city of Gujranwala on Thursday.

Khan was giving a speech to supporters when the shooting happened.

He was taken from the rally site, just outside the town of Gujranwala, to receive treatment in Lahore.

At least three of his supporters were also injured.

Khan stable

His senior aide, Raoof Hasan, told AFP Khan is in a stable condition

“This was an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him,” Hasan said, adding that one alleged attacker had been shot dead and a second taken into police custody.

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Footage on local media showed Khan with a bandaged leg moving from his truck to another vehicle with the help of his security team.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement condemning the incident and asked authorities to immediately launch an investigation.

Attack condemned

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, a political party, condemned the attack.

“This is not only an assassination attempt on Imran Khan, but attack on Pakistan itself.”

Khan who has been pushing for new elections after being ousted from power in April – has been delivering fiery speeches at gatherings across the country.

Disqualification

On 21 October, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recommended that Khan be disqualified from holding political office for five years for being involved in “corrupt practices”.

He was six days into a march from Lahore to Islamabad in his drive to bring early elections to the country, pushing for radical change, when the shooting took place.

This is not the first time that Pakistani politicians have been attacked.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007, and then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani survived an assassination attempt in 2008.

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