'Soft-spoken' scrap trader accused of Imran Khan attack
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Investigators examine the rooftop of a container truck used by Mr Imran Khan during his political rally, after a gun attack, on Nov 4, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
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SODHRA, Pakistan - In an impoverished Pakistan suburb, neighbours of a mild-mannered scrap trader expressed shock on Friday that he was being held over an attempt on the life of former prime minister Imran Khan.
“We used to exchange pleasantries whenever we crossed paths in the street,” 34-year-old Shamshad Ali told AFP. “I found him to be a soft-spoken person, without an iota of anger.”
Naveed Ahmad is the sole suspect in custody after Mr Khan was wounded by a spray of gunfire
An apparent confession video leaked by police – and cited by the government – shows Ahmad saying he attacked Mr Khan because his protest interrupted the call to prayer.
The government’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the attack was motivated on religious grounds.
Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, however, has condemned what it called a “conspiracy”, accusing government ministers and military generals of masterminding the attack.
In the town of Sodhra on the outskirts of Wazirabad, AFP found Ahmad’s family home – down a dingy narrow alley along an open sewer – padlocked shut.
Neighbours said his mother, wife and two sons were picked up by police shortly after the attack in which Mr Khan suffered non-life-threatening leg injuries, halting his march towards the capital Islamabad.
Police have not yet commented on the incident, but Punjab government officials confirmed the suspect’s name.
Imam Muhammad Munir, who makes the call to prayer at the local mosque, saw Ahmad worship there “quite often”, but considered him “the kind of person who minds his own business”.
“I never heard anything negative about him,” the 55-year-old said. “I never saw him fighting or exchanging harsh words with anyone.”
Hardline religious parties hold influence over swathes of Pakistan, but Ahmad’s fellow worshippers said he expressed no militant sentiments.
“Naveed was a simple boy and had no leanings towards any religious parties,” said 26-year-old Abrar Ahmad, no relation of the alleged attacker.
Numerous neighbours said Ahmad inherited a junk store from his late father and had worked in Saudi Arabia, a common destination for impoverished Pakistanis who remit money to their families back home.
“I am surprised at how Naveed, who belongs to a poor family, dared to make such an attempt,” said 36-year-old local grocer Muhammad Saleem. AFP
