Pakistan’s former Prime Minster Imran Khan was shot at a rally Thursday.
According to BBC, he was shot in the leg. One person died and five were injured in the attack in the city of Wazirabad.
Khan, 70, was at a protest march “to demand that the government hold early elections, when his convoy came under attack,” per The New York Times.
He was transported to Lahore for treatment and is reportedly in stable condition.
Who is behind the attack on Pakistan P.M. Imran Khan?
Meanwhile, Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, issued a statement on the former Pakistani cricket captain’s behalf.
“(Khan) believes there are 3 people on whose behest this was done, Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, and Maj Gen Faisal. He said he was receiving information and is saying this on that basis,” party leaders said in a video statement, according to Free Press Kashmir.
Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted that he condemned the incident and instructed the interior minister to investigate the shooting.
“I pray for the recovery and health of PTI chairman & other injured people,” he said, adding that the federal government will extend its support to the “Punjab govt for security & investigation.”
Why was Imran Khan holding a rally?
According to the Times, a politically motivated attack like this hasn’t occurred in Pakistan since 2007, when Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a public rally.
Last month, the country’s election commission deemed Khan ineligible from holding public office after he was accused of “incorrectly declaring details of gifts from foreign dignitaries and proceeds from their alleged sale,” per BBC.
He had been protesting this decision through a series of rallies. Nearly 800 people attended the latest one where the shooting occurred, according to CNN.