Imran Khan vows to carry on with march

A defiant Imran Khan made his first comments from hospital after being shot in the leg in what his supporters claimed was a politically motivated assassination attempt.

The cricketer-turned-politician, who was ousted as prime minister this year, said he had been warned to expect an attempt on his life as he led a protest march towards the capital Islamabad. He vowed to continue the journey once he had recovered.

He blamed his political opponents, including Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, for the shooting in the city of Wazirabad as he waved to crowds from a lorry on Thursday.

 “I had prior information that they will assassinate me. Two shooters were involved in the attack. Bursts of bullets were fired on me . . . bullets hit my leg and I fell down,” Khan said.

One person was confirmed dead and 11 were wounded in the incident, including Khan and members of his Movement for Justice party (PTI). The incident prompted protests and strikes.

Two men were initially reported to have carried out the attack, but only one has been arrested. Police named the suspect as Naveed Mohammad Basheer, a scrap dealer, and leaked a video of him apparently confessing to the shooting.

Senior members of the PTI said Khan, 70, blamed Sharif, the interior minister and the head of the ISI, the intelligence agency, for the apparent attempt on his life.

Khan gave a televised address from his hospital bed. Dressed in a blue gown with both legs bandaged, he said the “government and its handlers planned to kill me”.