PTI chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday said members of the joint investigation team (JIT) probing the Nov 3 attack on him in Wazirabad were being “pressurised to distance themselves” from the findings of the case, which confirmed his “conviction that powerful quarters were behind the assassination attempt”.
Last year, a PTI worker died and 14 others, including the former prime minister and PTI leaders, were injured in the attack at Wazirabad’s Allahwala Chowk, where the party’s “Haqeeqi Azadi”’ march against the federal government had stopped on its way to Islamabad.
To probe the incident, the Punjab government constituted a JIT. Last week, the team reportedly found that the attack was carried out from three different shooting sites.
An official privy to the findings earlier 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, arrested from the spot.
In a tweet today, the PTI chief said: “As per media reports, JIT members are 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.”
Imran has repeatedly insisted that three shooters were involved in the attack on him.
Most recently, in an address on Jan 5, he said that “two to three people” were behind the plot to assassinate him. “I know that the country’s armed forces are giving sacrifices for the country […] but there are black sheep in every institution.
“But the person who planned this, I want them to cooperate with the JIT. Action should be taken against those deliberately obstructing justice.”
The ousted premier also called for a “powerful” body backed by the chief justice of Pakistan to probe the incident.
Without taking names, Imran said that “an institution” working under the federal government had refused to conduct a forensic analysis of a mobile phone forwarded by the JIT.
On the other hand, the federal government has rejected Imran’s claims.
In a press conference last week, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that there was no second or third suspect involved in the incident other than the arrested suspect.
He also said that the PTI could conduct as many investigations as it desired but would not be able to “insert a second or third suspect”.
