Imran Khan-led march against Pak govt to resume Tuesday from the same point where he was attacked
Lahore, Nov 6: Imran Khan on Sunday announced that his party will resume the march to Islamabad from the same spot where he survived an assassination attempt but sustained bullet injuries during a rally in Punjab province, saying he prefers "death instead of living the life of a slave".
The 70-year-old former prime minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who underwent surgery for bullet injuries on Thursday was addressing a press conference from the Shaukat Khanum Hospital owned by his charitable organisation.
"We have decided that our march will resume on Tuesday from the same [point] in Wazirabad where I and 11 others were shot, and where Moazzam was martyred," Khan said.
Khan suffered bullet injuries in the right leg when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him and others mounting on a container-mounted truck in the Wazirabad area, where he was leading the march.
PTI worker Moazzam Gondal died due to bullet injuries during the attack on Khan. The rally was suspended after the attack.
"I will address the march from here (in Lahore), and our march, within the next 10 to 14 days, depending on the speed, will reach Rawalpindi," Khan said.
The PTI chief said once the march reaches Rawalpindi, he would then join it and lead it himself.
In a veiled reference to the powerful military establishment, Khan said: "They (military establishment) want to instill fear among us. But let me tell you...we will not budge from our stance and are ready to sacrifice our lives for real freedom. I prefer death instead of living the life of a slave."
A day after the attack on him, Khan alleged that three people -- Prime Minister Shehbaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer -- were behind the botched assassination attempt on his life.
The Army has rejected Khan's allegations as "baseless and irresponsible".
Questioning whether "some people" are above the law, the PTI chairman said, "I am facing problems in getting an FIR registered on the firing incident on my container. No Punjab police officer is ready to register an FIR on my complaint. If I, being a former prime minister of Pakistan, cannot get a case registered related to the attack on me, then think what will happen to the common man."
"I want a transparent investigation into the matter. There was a pattern in the attack on me. First, they labelled me a blasphemer and then tried to eliminate me like that of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer.
"The confessional statement of the suspect was recorded and released (to the media) to cover up the crime. Inspector General Police of Punjab lied that the video record of the suspect was hacked. In fact, they (police officers) are afraid to register FIR as they have orders from them (military establishment)," Khan alleged.
Prime Minister Shehbaz in a press conference in Lahore on Saturday said that Khan's party PTI is in power in the Punjab province and the provincial government should tell why the FIR of the assassination attempt has not been registered so far.
Khan also demanded constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the attack on him, the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, the torture and circulation of obscene video of PTI Senator Azam Swati and the cypher controversy (about toppling of the PTI government at the behest of the United States).
"I wonder if an ISI officer is involved in such dirty acts no action is taken against him. I am surprised at the Director General (Major General Babar Iftikhar) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)'s statement that the institution is standing with its officers, including the one involved in the attack on me. I want to ask him whether there is no black sheep in any institution," Khan said and questioned the DG ISPR to tell why court martial is needed if army officers do not commit any wrong.
He also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of all the issues he has raised as the nation is looking up to him for justice.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan's former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the protest march led by PTI has only been temporarily halted and not called off.
The Awami Muslim League (AML) president also lamented the fact that a first information report (FIR) of the attack on Khan had not been registered despite the passage of three days.
AML was part of the Imran Khan-led PTI government.
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West Asia: India supplied 22,000 MT of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March, says MEA
New Delhi (PTI): Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, India has supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March and has received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements, the MEA said on Friday.
At his weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in his response to a query related to requests received from India's neighbouring countries for fuel amid the West Asia situation, also said that India is "finalising a government-to-government agreement" for the supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing energy security of Mauritius.
The conflict in West Asia has now stretched to nearly 50 days, with global ramifications.
"So, we have received requests from our neighbouring countries for supply of fuel, and these are being looked into, keeping in mind our own requirements, availability and refining capacity," Jaiswal told reporters.
He further said India has "supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March 2026, and further supplies have continued this month as well".
"You would recall that last month we had supplied 38 metric tonnes of petroleum products to Sri Lanka as well," he added.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Mauritius last week, the MEA spokesperson said, adding, "We are finalising a government-to-government agreement for supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing the energy security of Mauritius".
As far as Nepal is concerned, there is an existing arrangement between Indian Oil Corporation and Nepal Oil Corporation to supply petroleum products to Nepal as per its requirements. The supplies are continuing without any interruption, he said.
Energy supplies to Bhutan also continue according to the existing arrangement.
"As I had mentioned earlier, we have received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements. We continue to be in touch with them in this regard, and are considering the request keeping in mind our own domestic requirements and availability of fuel.
"I would also like to add that our neighbouring country governments have expressed appreciation for the uninterrupted supply, fuel supply to them during the West Asian conflict," Jaiswal said.
Global oil and gas prices surged after Iran restricted the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG trade.
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