Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been wounded after a gunman opened fire at a political rally in the Wazirabad district in the eastern Punjab province.
An official from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party says he was injured in the foot, but is not seriously hurt.
Khan was leading a protest march from Lahore to the capital Islamabad to demand snap elections. The former prime minister has held dozens of rallies across Pakistan since he was removed from office in a no-confidence vote in April.
The cricketer-turned-politician, who became Pakistan’s 19th prime minister in August 2018, has alleged that he was removed from office as part of a conspiracy.
Pakistan’s National Security Council, a body of top civil and military leaders, has rejected Khan’s accusations, saying it found no evidence to suggest a conspiracy.
His centre-right PTI party had promised a “new” Pakistan, assuring supporters to fight corruption, bolster the crippling economy and pursue an independent foreign policy.
But, critics said, he failed to keep his promises, and the opposition gained momentum to bring down his government.
Still, many see him as a saviour of the common man in the roles of a cricketer, philanthropist and politician.
Born in 1952 in the northeastern city of Lahore, he won the only 50-over cricket World Cup for Pakistan in 1992, making him a hero to the young generation of Pakistan at the time.
Four years later, Khan joined politics.