Investigation Team Says, Assassination Bid On Imran Khan, A 'Well-Thought-Out Conspiracy'

The assassination bid on Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan during his long march to Islamabad last month was a "well-thought-out conspiracy," according to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the incident. In an incident that happened at Allahwala Chowk in Wazirabad town, Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, suffered bullet injuries in the right leg on November 3. Two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him and others standing on a container-mounted truck in the Wazirabad area (some 150-km from Lahore), where he was leading the long march to press for snap polls.

He was saved by a man Ibtisam Hassan, who jumped into action.

Briefing the media on the findings of the JIT headed by Lahore police chief Ghulam Mahmood Dogar, Punjab Home Minister Omar Sarfraz Cheema said on Monday that the gun attack on Khan was "organised one and well-thought-out conspiracy. He said the JIT investigation found that more than one attacker tried to assassinate 70-year-old Khan in the rally

Police had arrested the prime suspect, Muhammad Naveed, who has been in the JIT custody on physical remand till January 3 for interrogation. The minister said Naveed is a "trained assassin and he was present at the crime scene with his accomplices." He said Naveed also failed a polygraph test. Naveed had told police he wanted to kill Khan as music was played during Azan time during his long march/rally.

Naveed's cousin Muhammad Waqas has also been in the JIT's custody till January 3 for a controversial social media post. Waqas on November 3 tweeted "something big is going to happen today in Imran Khan's rally". Khan had blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Major General Faisal Naseer of ISI for hatching a plot to assassinate him.

Khan dismissed the FIR, saying without nominating Sharif, Sanaullah, and ISI Counter Intelligence Wing head Maj-Gen Faisal in the FIR it is a mere "piece of trash. The Punjab police said they nabbed Naveed from the crime scene and he had confessed to his crime. Naveed in his confessional statement said that he wanted to kill Khan as music was played during Azan time during his long march. Earlier, current Pakistan's PM Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack targeting his predecessor and ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.

(With Inputs from PTI)