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'Wouldn't have survived if…': Imran Khan on escaping 'assassination attempt'
Imran Khan, chairperson of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was shot in his right leg after two gunmen opened fire at his convoy in the Wazirabad area of Pak's Punjab province.
Ex-Pakistan prime miniser Imran Khan - the target of an 'assassination attempt' Thursday - has said he would not have survived if the two shooters had synchronised their attack, the BBC said Saturday morning, quoting a video statement released by the former cricketer.
Imran Khan, chairperson of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was shot in his right leg after two gunmen opened fire at his convoy in the Wazirabad area of Pak's Punjab province.
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The former PM - deposed in April after losing a no-confidence vote to incumbent Shehbaz Sharif - is leading a protest march from Lahore to Islamabad to force the Pak government to call for an early election. The attack on the protest march killed one person and injured 10.
In his first public appearance since the attack, Khan - sitting in a wheelchair with his right leg in a cast and left bandaged- attributed his escape to the fact he fell after the first shot; this fooled one of the shooters into thinking he had died, the PTI chief was quoted by the BBC.
In earlier statements Khan accused Sharif - whom he has also accused of colluding with the United States to remove him from power (allegations both the PM and the US have denied) - interior minister Rana Sanaullah and a senior figure in the Pak army of masterminding the attack on him. "These three decided to kill me," news agency AFP quoted him.
The Pak government has denied any role in Thursday's attack and blamed the assassination attempt on a lone assailant fueled by religious extremism. The hugely influential Pak army has also rejected the allegation, calling it 'baseless... irresponsible (and) uncalled for'.
