Protests erupt across Pakistan following Imran Khan assassination

On Friday, users on social media posted reports and videos of Khan’s supporters rallying in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and other cities across the country.

In Rawalpindi, police clashed with demonstrators and used smoke grenades to break up the protest rally.

On Thursday, two shooters had attempted to assassinate Khan in the city of Wazirabad, opening fire at a protest march he was leading to the capital Islamabad.

They killed one person and injured 11 others in the attack, said Khan, speaking on Friday in a live address from a hospital in Lahore where he has been receiving medical treatment.

“Three people made this plan .... How did I find out? People on the inside told me. One day before Wazirabad, they saw the crowds were building up, these crowds weren’t seen before in Pakistan, they made the plan to kill me,” Khan said.

Khan claimed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and intelligence official Major-General Faisal Naseer had been involved in the assassination attempt.

Sharif, however, condemned the shooting and ordered an immediate investigation.

Sanaullah, too, denied any involvement in the attack and called for an investigation.

The military’s media wing did not respond to a request for comment on Khan’s allegation, but condemned the shooting in an earlier statement.