PTI chief Imran Khan, Senator Faisal Javed and several other party leaders were among those wounded in gunfire on the long march container at Wazirabad’s Allah Wala Chowk on Thursday.
The attack, characterized by the PTI as “targeted”, has triggered widespread condemnation from across the political divide.
There were also reports of the death of a party worker who was in the city to welcome the caravan, which was there for the party’s second iteration of its “Azadi” march.
The assailant was reportedly subdued. Senator Javed, who was also wounded and had blood stains on his clothes, told Geo News from the hospital:
“Several of our colleagues are wounded. We heard that one of them is dead.”
According to PTI’s Imran Ismail, the party chief reportedly “received three to four bullets in his leg” while Javed was grazed by a bullet, according to Hammad Azhar.
“It was a clear assassination attempt. Khan was hit, but he’s stable. There was a lot of bleeding,” Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters.
“If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out.”
Azhar also said that PTI workers Omer Meyer and Rashid also received a gunshot each.
Local PTI members, Ahmed Chattha and Chaudhry Yousuf were also injured.
Following the incident, Imran Khan was immediately shifted to a vehicle and evacuated to a hospital — in Lahore, according to Reuters — while other injured people were taken by ambulances to the nearby Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology.
According to rescue officials and PTI, ten people were injured due to the firing, including the PTI officials. Reports also said that one child was included in the injured people.
Footage on television showed an injured Imran Khan is waving to supporters after reportedly being shot and then being carried to his bulletproof pickup truck.