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.
Watch: "Came To Kill Imran Khan Because...," Shooter Says On Camera#ImranKhan #Imrankhanourredline #ImranKhanLongMarch pic.twitter.com/O0nUIA5M36
— Waqas Ahmed official (@waqasofficialPk) November 3, 2022
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'Made in India' must become symbol of excellence, global competitiveness: PM
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'ease of doing business' and strengthen the services sector to make India a global services giant.
Addressing the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries here, Modi emphasised the need for quality in governance, service delivery and manufacturing, and said the label 'Made in India' must become a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness.
He said India has the potential to become the world's food basket and the country must move towards high-value agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries to become a major food exporter.
"Called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'Ease of Doing Business' and strengthen the services sector. Let us aim to make India a Global Services Giant," Modi said in a series of posts on X.
The theme of the three-day conference, which began on December 26, was 'Human Capital for Viksit Bharat'.
Modi observed that this conference marks another decisive step in strengthening the spirit of cooperative federalism and deepening Centre-State partnership to achieve the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
Highlighting India's demographic advantage, he said nearly 70 per cent of the population is in the working-age group, creating a unique historical opportunity which, when combined with economic progress, can significantly accelerate the journey towards a 'Viksit Bharat', according to an official statement.
Modi said India has boarded the "Reform Express", driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and empowering this demographic remains the government's key priority.
He noted that the conference is being held at a time when the country is witnessing next-generation reforms and steadily moving towards becoming a major global economic power.
Underlining the need to strengthen 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance), he said India must pursue self-reliance with zero defect in products and minimal environmental impact, making the label 'Made in India' synonymous with quality and strengthening the commitment to "zero effect, zero defect".
The PM urged the Centre and states to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and strengthen economic resilience in line with the vision of 'Viksit Bharat'.
In higher education, too, he said, there is a need for academia and industry to work together to create high-quality talent.
He highlighted that India has a rich heritage and history with the potential to be among the top global tourist destinations.
Modi urged the states to prepare a roadmap for creating at least one global-level tourist destination and nourishing an entire tourist ecosystem.
He said it is important to align the national sports calendar with the global sports calendar.
"India is working to host the 2036 Olympics. India needs to prepare infrastructure and sports ecosystem at par with global standards," he said.
The prime minister said the next 10 years must be invested in the states, only then will India get the desired results in such sports events.
Every state must give this top priority and create infrastructure to attract global companies, he said.
In the services sector, Modi said, there should be greater emphasis on other areas like healthcare, education, transport, tourism, professional services and artificial intelligence, etc. to make India a global services giant.
He said India will soon be launching the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM).
States should work in tandem with the discussions and decisions emerging from the conferences of both chief secretaries and DGPs to strengthen governance and implementation.
The PM said similar conferences could be replicated at the departmental level to promote a national perspective among officers and improve governance outcomes in pursuit of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
In conclusion, he said every state must create a 10-year actionable plan based on the discussions of this conference with one, two, five and 10-year target timelines wherein technology can be utilised for regular monitoring.
The conference featured a series of special sessions that enabled focused deliberations on cross-cutting and emerging priorities.
It marks another important milestone in strengthening the Centre-State partnership through structured and sustained dialogue on national development priorities, according to the statement.
The PM's principal secretaries P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, members of the NITI Aayog, chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, and domain experts attended the meeting.
Anchored in the prime minister's vision of cooperative federalism, this conference serves as the forum where the Centre and states collaborate, designing a unified roadmap to maximise India's human capital potential and accelerate inclusive, future-ready growth.
It has been organised annually over the past four years.
The first conference was held in Dharamshala in June 2022, followed by subsequent conferences in New Delhi in January 2023, December 2023 and December 2024.
