Khan supporters resume march to Islamabad to push for early polls

Former PM Imran Khan addresses the media at a hospital in Lahore, a day after an assassination attempt on him, on Nov 4. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD – Former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters have resumed a march to the Pakistani capital to demand an early general election, a week after he was shot and injured at a public rally.

The marchers set off on Thursday from Wazirabad, the same place where Mr Khan was shot on Nov 3, nearly 200km from the capital Islamabad.

The former cricket star, who is still recovering from his injuries, is expected to address his followers through a video message later on Thursday. He will join the convoy once it is closer to the capital in about two weeks.

Mr Khan has been protesting and drawing large crowds since being ousted from office in April through a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

His latest protest, called the “real freedom movement”, is a 270km-long journey from the city of Lahore.

A slow-moving convoy of Mr Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) supporters – in vehicles and on foot – took to the streets on Oct 28, making multiple stops en route.

Mr Khan has described the shooting as an “assassination attempt”.

He has blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and a general in the country’s powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, as being behind the attack.

All three have denied the allegation.

Mr Khan said the attempt on his life could push the people of Pakistan to take to the streets like in Sri Lanka.

However, the public anger appears to have cooled for now, after some sporadic reports of violence immediately after the attack. BLOOMBERG

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