Several leaders of Pakistan including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident of gunfire that happened at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan's rally in Gujranwala town on Thursday.
Condemning the incident, PM Sharif also directed the country's Interior Minister for an immediate report on the occurrence. "Federal government will extend all support necessary to Punjab govt for security & investigation. Violence should have no place in our country's politics. I pray for the recovery and health of the PTI chairman & other injured people," he wrote on Twitter.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has called on the Punjab government to form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the matter. "Today’s unfortunate firing incident requires a high-level investigation as it is a matter of grave concern. Therefore, the Punjab government should constitute a JIT at the earliest to investigate the matter thoroughly (sic)," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto also "strongly condemned" the attack and wished for Imran Khan's speedy recovery. Taking to Twitter, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif also condemned the incident and prayed for the recovery of Khan and others who got injured in the firing.
Reacting to the incident, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry claimed that it was a “well-planned assassination attempt” on Imran Khan. “It was not 9mm [pistol], it was burst from an automatic weapon, no two opinions about that it was a narrow escape,” he tweeted.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the firing incident during the PTI's march is "highly condemnable”. “Sincere prayers for precious life lost and speedy recovery and well-being of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and all those injured in this unfortunate incident,” Pakistan's military media wing said, as per the Dawn.
According to media reports, at least one person has died and around nine sustained injuries in the incident. Meanwhile, Khan sustained bullet injuries on his right leg and has been shifted to a hospital. The suspect has been identified as Muhammad Naveed, son of Muhammad Bashir. He is a resident of the Sodhra district in Wazirabad.
