'I knew they planned to kill me', reveals Imran Khan

The cricketer-turned-politician also claimed that he was "hit by four bullets" and dismissed reports that it was friendly fire that hit him.

Published on: Nov 4, 2022, 21:35:59 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Friday claimed that he had learned about the looming danger even before the "assassination" bid was made against him at a political rally in Wazirabad - nearly 200km from the capital Islamabad - on Thursday.

A man watches a television channel broadcasting the address of Pakistan former prime minister Imran Khan a day after an assassination attempt during his long march near Wazirabad, in Karachi on November 4, 2022. (AFP)

"I got to know the day before the attack that either in Wazirabad of Gujrat, they planned to kill me," the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief said in his first address after being shot at by a man who said he wanted to kill only Khan for "misleading people".

The cricketer-turned-politician also claimed that he was "hit by four bullets" and dismissed reports that it was friendly fire that hit him. He was addressing the nation while still being admitted to a hospital in Lahore.

Khan – who was ousted from power in April this year by a vote of confidence – said his government would have never lost the no-trust move. "...But they (the coalition leaders) used the money to become successful," he said. He repeated the foreign conspiracy claims against the US over his government's independent foreign policy.

Khan's alleged shooter in a video shared on social media was seen saying: "I thought of this as there was Azaan going on and on the other side, Imran Khan is taking out his container and making noise. My conscience did not approve of this. I decided this suddenly... I conspired against Imran Khan when he kicked off his long march from Lahore. I made up my mind that I will not leave him alive,"

The shooter said he had acted independently and no one else was involved in the act. “I came on a bike and I parked it at my uncle's shop. He has a motorcycle showroom,” he had added.

Khan has accused the current premier Shehbaz Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and a senior army commander of plotting a botched assassination attempt against him. "These three decided to kill me," Khan said.

(With agency inputs)

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