Imran Khan: Former Pakistan cricketer and Prime Minister shot in leg in apparent assassination attempt
Imran Khan captained Pakistan's Test side during his career before he turned his attention to politics after retiring. The 70-year-old was ousted as Pakistan's Prime Minister in August
Friday 4 November 2022 06:09, UK
Former Pakistan cricketer and Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shot in the leg in what his supporters say was an assassination attempt.
A gunman reportedly opened fire while Khan was giving a speech to supporters at a rally in Wazirabad.
Sky News' Cordelia Lynch was at the scene and said a Sky News producer was standing near the cricketer-turned-politican soon after he emerged from his container after the shooting.
Khan was rushed away from the scene, and his supporters said he survived the attempt on his life.
According to a party official, Khan was hit in the leg but escaped serious harm. The identity of the gunman was not immediately known and no group has claimed responsibility.
Khan's political party and police said one of his supporters died, while nine others were wounded and an arrest was made at the scene. Nine others were also wounded
Pakistan's former captain has been calling for new elections after he was ousted as Prime Minister in April. He has been delivering speeches at gatherings across Pakistan.
He was six days into the march from Lahore to Islamabad in his drive to bring early elections when the shooting took place.
A large crowd had gathered to hear him speak, and Lynch said she interviewed him at the scene about threats of violence.
He described the march as a "peaceful" protest - when there was a "sudden commotion".
"The injured were taken into an ambulance... a lot of panic... people rushing. No one could quite work out what was happening," said Lynch.
"Then Imran Khan emerged. He had been shot, I understand, in the left leg. In fact, our producer here, Mohammed, was able to see that. He was very close to Imran Khan as he emerged.
"He was taken away... a doctor, who was close by, treated three patients. This was the worst-case scenario - what so many people were concerned about was that this peaceful protest had the potential to turn violent."
Khan taken to Lahore for treatment
According to Lynch, she said she was sat with Khan inside the container when they heard screams before they were told to get off the container immediately.
"There was concern the shooter was still on board. But at that stage, it was so unclear if there were threats outside. We didn't hear any gunfire. At that stage, it was not known if people had been stabbed or shot," she said.
When they went outside, Lynch said they heard some people in the "panicked" crowd shouting, "Imran Khan is dead", while armed police and emergency services moved in.
She added that Khan had been taken to a hospital in Lahore for treatment to a gunshot wound to the leg, while Faisal Javed, the leader of political party PTI was also among the injured.
Khan glittering Test career
Before entering politics, Khan had a glittering two-decade cricket career with Pakistan, after making his first-class debut as a 16-year-old.
Between 1971 and 1976 Khan played county cricket for Worcestershire and made his Test debut against England in June 1971 at Edgbaston.
In 1974 he made his ODI debut against England at Trent Bridge. During the 70s he established himself as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket and one of the pioneers of reverse swing bowling.
In a glittering Test career, Khan played 88 matches, taking 362 wickets and scoring 3,807 runs. He also made 175 ODI appearances, scoring 3,709 runs and taking 182 wickets.
In 1982, Khan was handed the captaincy of Pakistan's cricket team at the age of 31, taking over from Javed Miandad.
He captained the side in 48 Tests, winning 14 and losing eight and led the side in 139 ODIs, winning 77 and losing 57.
Khan led the side to their first Test win in England at Lord's and he also led Pakistan to their first Test series win victory over India and England in 1987.
The fast bowler retired from international cricket after leading Pakistan to victory in the 1987 World Cup but returned to the side a year later.
Khan's career-high as a captain and cricketer came when he led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
