Pakistan minister accuses Imran Khan of inciting violence in wake of ‘assassination’ attempt

DUBAI: Pakistan’s information minister on Saturday accused former Prime Minister Imran Khan of inciting violence after his political party called for a nationwide protest in response to his being shot.

Khan was shot in the leg on Thursday as he waved to crowds from a truck-mounted container while leading a protest march to Islamabad from Lahore to pressure the government into announcing an early election.

Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was removed from office in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April and has since frequently said his ouster was part of a US-backed “foreign conspiracy.” Washington and Khan’s opponents, who are now in power, deny the claim.

Since the shooting, Khan has held three officials responsible: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Inter-Services Intelligence director-general for counterintelligence Maj. Gen. Faisal Naseer.

He has not, however, provided evidence to support his accusations, which the government and military have described as baseless and irresponsible.

After Khan’s party called on supporters to mobilize across the country on Saturday to protest against what they say was an assassination attempt and demand Sharif’s resignation, Pakistan’s Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the former leader wanted “chaos in the country.”

“It’s absurd, it’s ridiculous to the max,” she told Arab News in a phone interview on Saturday.

“How is the prime minister connected to this incident? Mr. Khan is inciting violence in Pakistan and instigating hate in Pakistan.”

As the attack took place in Punjab province, which is ruled by the PTI, Aurangzeb said Khan had everything he needed — administration, police and intelligence — to conduct an investigation, but had yet to file even a first information report, which is the first step in the legal process for starting an inquiry.

“It is a fact that it has been 48 hours since the incident and the FIR report has not been registered in any police station in Punjab,” she said, adding that if he wanted, Khan could ask an international agency, such as the UK’s Scotland Yard, to assist in the investigation.

The Pakistani government called for a probe right after the attack, Aurangzeb said.

“The moment this incident happened, the prime minister of Pakistan called the interior minister and immediately asked for an initial report from the chief secretary of Punjab and the IG (Inspector General) in Punjab,” she said.

“And the interior minister was instructed to give all recourses, all assistance to the Punjab government for any investigation they want, for any security they want.”

But at a press briefing at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Lahore on Friday, Khan, sitting in a wheelchair with his legs bandaged, questioned the possibility of an impartial probe.

“Three people made the plan,” he told reporters, as he named Sharif, Sanaullah and Nasser.

“Until these three people resign, how will there be an investigation?”