British politicians, including Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, condemned the attack on Imran khan and wished an early recovery for him and others injured in the assassination attempt.
Imran Khan came under the gun attack while he was leading his party’s anti-government protest rally in Wazirabad near Gujranwala on Thursday. The assault left a party activist dead and several leaders including Imran Khan injured.
Giving his reaction in a tweet hours after the attack, the UK foreign secretary James Cleverly said, “Shocking attack on Imran Khan in Pakistan which has left one person dead. My thoughts are with all those affected.”
“There is no space for violence in politics,” he added.
Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan also expressed concerns for Imran’s well-being, saying, “My prayers are with Imran Khan and the people of Pakistan at this extremely distressing time.”
The London mayor expressed his concerns over the murder attempt on Imran Khan, saying, “No political leader should ever face violence or intimidation.”
Expressing his shock over the attack on Imran Khan, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office FCDO Minister Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said, “A thriving democracy is a key to an inclusive & progressive society. Violence is never the answer.”
“Sending my thoughts and prayers to Imran and his family at this time,” he added.
The longest-serving British-Pakistani Member of Parliament (MP) in the British Parliament Khalid Mahmood MP also condemned the assault on Imran Khan, saying, “Very sad to hear about the “attempted assassination” of Imran Khan.”
The United States also condemned the attempt on Chairman PTI Imran Khan’s life, saying there is no room for violence in politics.
“The US strongly condemns the shooting of Imran Khan at a political rally,” US State Secretary Antony Blinken said on Friday.
“We wish him and all others injured a quick recovery, and we offer our condolences to the family of the individual who was killed.”
In a tweet, Blinken also called upon all the political parties in the country to exercise caution by staying peaceful, as “violence has no place in politics.”
The US secretary’s condemnation comes hours after the former prime minister came under a gun attack during the PTI’s protest long march in Gujranwala on Thursday.
The attack left several people, including the PTI chief and some other party leaders, wounded. A party activist lost his life in the deadly attack.
A suspect involved in the attack has been arrested. In a video confessionary statement, the attacker said that he tried to assassinate Imran Khan, not anyone else, as he was misleading people.
Meanwhile, issuing a video statement following the deadly assault at the party’s protest rally, Asad Umar and Mian Aslam Iqbal said, “Imran Khan has said that he had pieces of information beforehand that these people might be involved in the assassination attempt on him.”
Umar, quoting the PTI chairman, demanded that all three people- Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, and Major General Faisa- be removed from their offices.
The PTI leader warned that the PTI would hold countrywide protests if these officials are not removed from their positions, as the country cannot run in this manner anymore.
“Khan is ready to sacrifice his life for the nation. There should be no doubt about it now. He is fine, but he says that we should always believe in Allah,” Umar said.
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