Wanted to assassinate former Pak PM Imran Khan because "he was misleading the public," says suspect
Islamabad, Nov 3: The man who attacked Imran Khan on Thursday during a political march in Punjab province said he tried to assassinate the former Pakistan prime minister because "he was misleading the public" and could not tolerate it.
Khan, 70, was injured when the unidentified gunman opened fire on the container-mounted-truck carrying him during his protest march, but he was out of danger in what his party claimed was an "assassination attempt."
The incident occurred near Allahwala Chowk of Wazirabad town in Punjab when Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, was leading the long march to Islamabad demanding early elections.
The gunman was immediately nabbed by security officers and workers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The clip of his confessional statement, which is now being circulated on local media, shows a man in his late twenties, sporting a dishevelled look.
"He (Imran) was misleading the people and I could not bear watching it. So I killed him attempted to kill him," the suspect said in a video statement.
"I tried my best to kill him. I wanted to kill him (Khan) only and no one else," he confessed.
The gunman admitted that he has was not affiliated to any political, religious or terror outfits.
He asserted that the idea to assassinate the PTI chief germinated after he announced the mega rally on October 28.
"I decided to kill him today. This idea came to me when Khan started his long march. I am alone and nobody is with me. I came on my motorbike and I parked the bike in the shop of my uncle," he explained.
"I decided to kill him because when a call for prayer was given, songs were being played (from the container)," he added.
According to eyewitnesses, the gunman fired on the container-mounted truck carrying Khan from a close range.
They said one person has been arrested from the spot and police took him to an unknown location.
Video footage showed a PTI worker tackling the attacker from behind and trying to grab the gun of the attacker.
Ehtisam, who tackled the attacker, told the media that he forced the gun of the attacker downward and stopped further mayhem.
"If something tragic had happened to Khan in our area, then we all would have been ashamed," he said, adding that he was sorry that he could not stop the gunman from firing the first shot.
ARY News, which is considered as a mouthpiece of Khan's party, reported that he was out of danger.
Khan, who was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, has talked about a 'threat letter' from the US and claimed that it was part of a foreign conspiracy to remove him as he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy.
The US has bluntly rejected the allegations.
He has been demanding early elections and he is leading the long march towards Islamabad to force his demands.
The term of the National Assembly will end in August 2023 and fresh elections should be held within 60 days.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
