On Sunday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former prime minister, Imran Khan, announced his plans to resume the long march from Tuesday. The march will continue from Wazirabad, the place where Khan's container was attacked three days ago.
Khan was discharged from Shaukat Khanum hospital this afternoon, where he was being treated for bullet wounds to his shins. During the shoot out, Khan was injured and so were eleven of his party members. One person was killed. Khan has since undergone surgery on his leg in Lahore and is said to be recovering well.
Following the shooting incident, the current Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said an investigation must take place to find out who was behind the attack.
In response to Sharif's statement, Imran Khan said that he welcomes Sharif’s decision to ask the Supreme Court to form a judicial commission on the attack, but also said that a free and fair investigation cannot take place, as those he holds responsible for the attack control all the government agencies.
In a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, Khan said, “Shehbaz Sharif spoke of the judicial commission and I welcome this, but my first point is what would it do? When all the agencies come under the three people I’ve named, who will investigate? How can we have an impartial and fair investigation? It can't happen. That’s why I asked them to resign so the investigation can be fair."
Earlier, Khan blamed the attack on a conspiracy between the government and Pakistan’s powerful military.
Following the shooting, Pakistanis took to the streets. The protesters chanted “Revolution!” and “Khan, your devotees are countless.” The protests blocked major highways outside the capital, Islamabad, and in the cities of Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi.
March is On
Since the attack, it was unclear whether the long march will resume. However, on Sunday, Khan announced the continuation of the long march, much to the anticipation of millions of Pakistanis who were waiting to hear about the future development of PTI and its leader.
"We have decided that our march will resume on Tuesday from the same [point] in Wazirabad where I and 11 others were shot, and where Moazzam was martyred," Imran said. "I will address the march from here (in Lahore), and our march, within the next 10 to 14 days, depending on the speed, will reach Rawalpindi."
He further added that once the march reaches Rawalpindi, he would then join it and lead it himself.
First Information Report
It has been three days since the attack on Imran Khan took place but so far he had not been able to register a first information report (FIR) with the police. Allegedly the Punjab police are reluctant to register the complaint.
According to Khan, the authorities in Punjab are refusing to file a FIR over the attack on his container unless he removes the military official’s name from it.
"It’s been three days and Punjab government — which is a coalition government — but despite that we have not been able to register an FIR because they say ‘it's okay we are ready [to file] against PM and Interior Minister but you can’t do it for that army general, Major Faisal'."
However, Imran Khan is not backing down and on Sunday, the PTI chair said that he has every right to lodge an FIR against the three men whom he believes were behind the attack in a conspiracy against him.
"I fully believe that these three have done this (attack) through a conspiracy. It’s my right [to register a case]. I’m the leader of the biggest political party and ex-PM and if I can’t get his name in the FIR then I ask what [rights can be expected] for the nation and for the common man?”
Earlier, Asad Umar, the PTI's secretary-general, announced that the party had prior information about the attack and if those Khan holds responsible are not asked to resign, there will be nation-wide protests.
The People Have Spoken
Meanwhile, social media in Pakistan is raging with PTI supporters alleging that Thursday’s assassination attempt was a foreign plot to further destabilize Pakistan.
In efforts to do some damage control, the government of Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly accused Khan of antagonistic behavior and false accusations.
30 September 2022, 14:36 GMT
However, on social media it is visible that Pakistanis are very vocal about their support for the ousted premier Imran Khan. Also the long march had drawn thousands of people last week, prior to the attack on Khan's container.
But the military, whose support was crucial to bring Khan to power in 2018, has already said that it would back Sharif’s government if there was widespread unrest.
That puts the political and social situation in the country under great tension.
Following Khan's accusations, the Pakistani military condemned Khan’s remarks, describing them as “baseless allegations” and “highly regrettable,” in a written statement.
“No one will be allowed to defame the institution or its soldiers with impunity,” it said.
In response, Khan said that he is not blaming the institution but only a few people inside it.
Imran said that portraying his criticism of one army officer as a condemnation of the whole institution was akin to saying that calling out one judge or corrupt PTI worker meant blaming the whole judiciary or party.
Khan and the Pakistani government have gone head to head since the PTI chief was ousted from power by Parliament in April this year. Khan blamed his ouster on a foreign plot, and in the months that followed, he bolstered his popular support by holding a series of rallies across the country, criticizing Pakistan’s new leadership and calling for snap elections.