Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that joint investigation team (JIT) members investigating the attack on him in Wazirabad were being "pressurised to distance themselves" from the findings of the case, which he claimed confirms his conviction that "powerful quarters" were responsible for the attack.
Imran Khan tweeted, "As per media reports, JIT members being pressurised to distance themselves from the findings of JIT investigating assassination plot against me. This further confirms my conviction that powerful quarters were behind the assassination attempt on me."
On November 3, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker died and 14 others, including Imran Khan, were injured in an attack in Wazirabad, Dawn reported. The attack was carried out when the PTI's "Haqeeqi Azadi" march against the Pakistan government stopped on its way to Islamabad. The Punjab government set up a joint investigation to conduct the investigation into the attack.
Earlier, an official aware of the findings told Dawn that shots were fired by "three unknown shooters, from unknown weapons" from a considerable height other than the gun attack carried out by the suspect, Naveed Meher. Meher had been arrested from the site of the attack.
It is pertinent to note here that Imran Khan has repeatedly said that three shooters were involved in the attack against him in Wazirabad, as per the Dawn report. In an address on January 5, Imran Khan said that "two to three people" were behind the plot to assassinate him. He called for a "powerful" body backed by Pakistan's Chief Justice to conduct the investigation.
"I know that the country's armed forces are giving sacrifices for the country [...] but there are black sheep in every institution," Dawn quoted Imran Khan as saying.
"But the person who planned this, I want them to cooperate with the JIT. Action should be taken against those deliberately obstructing justice," he added. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that "an institution" working under the Pakistan government was not willing to conduct a forensic analysis of a mobile phone sent by the joint investigation team, as per the news report. However, the Pakistan government has rejected the claims made by Imran Khan. Last week, Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that there was no second or third suspect involved in the incident other than the arrested suspect, as per the Dawn report. Speaking at a press conference, Rana Sanaullah said that PTI can conduct as many investigations as it wants, however, it will not be able to "insert a second or third suspect."
( With inputs from ANI )
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