Imran Khan Wounded in Gun Attack at Protest

Former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been wounded after a gun attack on his convoy during a protest march in the eastern city of Wazirabad.

Khan, 70, was wounded in the leg during the attack and was not in a life-threatening condition.

Supporters of Khan, who was ousted from power following a no-confidence vote earlier this year, called the attack an “assassination attempt”. Investigating authorities said that the motive for the attack is not yet clear.

The identity of the gunman is currently unknown. Footage published online claimed to be of the attacker in custody shows a disheveled man with his hands tied behind his back claiming he intended to kill the former cricket star turned politician.

Khan was taken to an undisclosed hospital in Lahore, where he was expected to undergo surgery.

The former prime minister had been leading a protest march at the time of the attack, demanding early elections in the country. Pakistan’s government has remained unmoved in its insistence that elections will take place next year as scheduled.

Khan was removed from the position of prime minister in April following a no-confidence vote in parliament, and replaced by Shehbaz Sharif, brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and a long-time rival of Khan. The former leader was subsequently banned from running for public office for five years, leading to protests across the country.