-Punjab govt to form JIT to probe attack on Imran
-PTI to resume Long March from Wazirabad today
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he will disclose the name of 4th suspect who was also in the control room monitoring the “execution of the plot” – the apparent reference to the assassination attempt on him in Punjab’s Wazirabad city last week.
Imran Khan, 70, was wounded by gunfire aimed at his open-top container truck as he led a political party convoy through thick crowds in the eastern city of Wazirabad on November 3.
One person died in the incident while several members of the PTI chairman’s close circle, including Senator Faisal Javed, former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, Ahmad Chattha and Imran Yousaf, were injured.
A suspect identified as Naveed was arrested from the crime scene. The suspect admitted to opening fire on the container but did not point out to anyone during the initial investigations.
The former premier, who was removed from power through a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly in April this year, also claimed that he had discovered the assassination plot hatched against him almost two months ago and exposed it in Rahim Yar Khan on September 24 and Mianwali on October 7 during public rallies. “Wazirabad assassination attempt followed the script,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle on Wednesday.
The investigators and the federal government are adamant that the attacker acted alone. However, the PTI leadership including Imran said Naveed was only a pawn who executed the assassination plot hatched by three powerful personalities of the country.
The government and military have dismissed Imran’s claims as lies and fabrications, and threatened to sue the PTI chief for defamation.
Imran Khan launched what is known as a long-march protest rally from Lahore to the capital on October 28, which the former ruling party said will resume on Thursday (today) at the same place where he was attacked.
Imran’s supporters blocked roads near Islamabad on Tuesday, disrupting traffic and forcing schools to close.
Separately, the Punjab government on Wednesday decided to form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the assassination attempt on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.
The decision to form the JIT was taken in a meeting of the Punjab Cabinet Committee on Law and Order, which was chaired by the chairman of the committee, Raja Basharat, through a video link from Rawalpindi.
In the meeting, it was decided that the Joint Investigation Team will be headed by Additional IG Highways Patrol Riaz Nazir, other members of the JIT will include representatives of the relevant agencies.
The Punjab Cabinet Committee has also decided to provide special security to Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan and in the second phase of the long march, strict security arrangements have been made for the container.
Chairman Committee Raja Basharat said that the police and district administration should keep in touch with the local leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, bullet-proof rostrum and glass will be installed on the container, deployment of snipers and other security arrangements should not be neglected.
In the meeting, it was also decided to talk to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf to open the motorways soon and give way to the judges.
