KARACHI: Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) spokesman Anjum Rizvi said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Rashid Godil was responsive to doctors after being weaned off the ventilator and sedatives, and had moved his hands and feet.

The spokesman said Godil had been weaned off the ventilator to approximately 60 per cent. Rizvi said that Godil's mental and kidney functions were normal but his lungs had been badly affected. He added that the patient's heartbeat and blood pressure were also normal.

"Doctors call it clinical stability. His state is not deteriorating but it is still critical. The next 24 hours will be important for him," Rizvi said.

Rashid Godil was critically wounded after unidentified armed men opened fire on his vehicle near his residence in Karachi's Bahadurabad area Tuesday.

The MQM leader underwent emergency surgery following the attack, and is currently in critical condition at LNH. He suffered five bullet wounds ─ two in the neck and three in the chest.

A bullet had entered a lung from one side and exited through the other, Anjum Rizvi said.

Earlier, the LNH spokesman said a panel of doctors was deciding whether the MQM leader was capable of being weaned off the ventilator completely.

Initial preparations for weaning Godil off the ventilator were being made, said Anjum Rizvi while speaking to media representatives. The oxygen supply had been decreased early this morning so Godil could begin breathing on his own, the hospital's spokesman continued.

Rizvi also said doctors had discontinued giving sedatives to Godil a short while ago in order for him to regain consciousness and react.

"When he starts breathing on his own and his system starts normalising, then the vent can be removed," the spokesman said, adding that, "when the panel comes, we have hope that he will be conscious and the doctors will be able to monitor his reactions".

The spokesman said Godil's wounded lung had been medicated, and the bullet in his jaw had been removed.

He stressed the importance of getting the MQM leader off the ventilator. "As long he is on the vent, his condition is critical," he said. The spokesman said that consultant doctors were attending to and monitoring Godil.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inquired about the health of injured MQM leader Rashid Godil from the victim’s son Noufel Godil. The premier also prayed for the early recovery of Godil.

Nawaz directed for the provision of best medical facilities and care to Rashid Godil.

The attack occurred as Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was in talks with senior MQM leaders regarding the party's resignations from the federal and provincial assemblies, and the Senate last week.

Also read: MQM's Rashid Godil critical after Karachi attack