Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot in an alleged assassination attempt Thursday. He was rushed to the hospital where he is in stable condition, and the alleged gunman has been arrested.
Khan was waving to a crowd from atop a container truck during a protest march when shots rang out. The former prime minister, as well as several of his supporters, were injured in the attack. One person has reportedly died.
A spokesperson for Khan’s political party, PTI, told Reuters that “it was a clear assassination attempt. Khan was hit but he’s stable. There was a lot of bleeding.”
The suspected shooter was immediately taken into custody and police later released video of the suspect allegedly confessing to the shooting.
The suspect, who has been identified by Pakistan’s Information Minister as Faisal Butt, said in the video that he acted alone and “Only Imran Khan was my target,” according to the Associated Press.
In April, Khan was removed from the his position as prime minister by a no-confidence vote in parliament after he was accused of corruption and violating the constitution, CNBC reported. Then, in October, Pakistan’s election commission prohibited Khan from holding office again for five years because of “corrupt practices.”
As a result of Khan’s removal from office, small protests by his supporters erupted throughout the country.
For the past week, Khan has been on a campaign tour from Lahore to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, calling for early elections and radical change in Pakistan elections. A large convoy of trucks and cars has grown around Khan’s tour, and he was six days into the protest procession when he was shot.
In a press conference announcing his march, he explained, “I am marching to press the government to announce elections immediately,” adding that his supporters should avoid any violence.
Among the wounded was Faisal Javed, a Pakistani lawmaker, who said in a video after the shooting that the attack would not stop Khan’s march to the capital.
Khan’s calls for snap elections have not quite panned out. The Pakistani government has reaffirmed that elections will be held as scheduled next year.
