Imran Khan shot at rally

Imran Kahn has just got to the top of the truck and is waving to his supporters when a gunman in the crowd points his pistol at him and shoots. Former Pakistani Prime Minister hit in the shin. While helpers in the crowd overpowered the gunman, others carried the injured Imran Khan to a car that would take him from Wazirabad to a hospital in Lahore, 100 kilometers away. His team said a little later that Kahn’s condition was stable. One person is killed in the attack and ten others are injured.

Since then, supporters of Khan have been protesting in several cities, demanding a full investigation into the incident. The police responded with tear gas. On Friday, Khan said there will be either “a peaceful revolution or a bloody revolution.” People would storm the streets like in Sri Lanka. It is clear to Khan that government officials in Islamabad wanted to kill him. He claimed to have found out about a plan the day before the assassination.

march to the capital

Imran Khan was on his “March on Islamabad” at the time of the attack. He traveled the country for a week in a truck carrying a container that had been converted into a stage. The goal was the capital, which he planned to reach on November 11th. Khan was celebrated at the rallies by supporters. The protest march was intended to show the government how much support it still enjoys among the population. The pressure of the masses should also force early elections. Khan on Friday vowed to continue his march to the capital after recovering from his injury. On Sunday he was able to leave the hospital in a wheelchair.

Khan was once one of Pakistan’s top cricketers. After retiring, he went into politics in 1996. In the early 2000s, the elite still ridiculed his political ambitions – in 2018 his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party became the strongest force in the country. Imran Khan, known for his luxurious lifestyle as a sports star, became prime minister and promised the people reforms and less corruption. He failed, mainly due to the lack of support from the military.

This spring, the prime minister lost a controversial vote of confidence in parliament. In October, a court banned him from political office for five years for allegedly failing to properly declare gifts as prime minister. Since then, Khan has persistently spread the theory that the United States was behind his recall. This is because he was on a state visit to Moscow on the day Russia under Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine. Since then, he has labeled each of his critics as corrupt and part of a grand conspiracy against him.

government accused

Khan’s team is convinced that the government is behind the attack. However, it has no evidence to support the allegation. The police have released a video showing the alleged shooter’s confession. A man says: «Imran Khan deceived the people. I couldn’t take it anymore. I did my best to kill him.” Khan’s team called the video an attempted government deception.

Politicians live dangerously in Pakistan. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was shot dead during an election rally in 2007. To this day it is not clear who was behind the assassination. There are a number of religious extremist groups in Pakistan, and the political parties are bitterly at odds. And the current government around Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is not Khan’s only opponent. Above all, he has turned the almighty military against him.

In addition, Khan made a controversial statement for Pakistan in an interview with the BBC in early October. Khan described the assassination of author Salman Rushdie in New York in August as “sad” and “in no way justified”. Rushdie was charged with blasphemy, and Pakistan imposed the death penalty.

polarization on the web

Under the government of Imran Khan, Pakistan went through an economic crisis. He also failed to keep his promise to fight corruption. Khan still enjoys a lot of support from the population. Tens of thousands of supporters cheered him on at the “March on Islamabad”. In early November, Khan won six out of eight seats in parliament by-elections, which he interpreted as a “referendum on his popularity.”

He scores particularly well with young people – and two thirds of the population in Pakistan are under the age of thirty. Opponents accuse him of polarizing people with his conspiracy theories via social networks. Khan is creating a dangerous culture in which the truth no longer plays a role.

There is also a heated atmosphere at Imran Khan’s anti-government rallies. The assassination attempt on him will probably further fuel the displeasure of his supporters. This week, Khan wrote on Twitter: “For six weeks a revolution has been sweeping this country. The question is whether it will take place peacefully at the ballot box or whether it will become destructive and blood will flow.”