Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan says he survived an attempt on his life because he fell after being hit in the legs, just as a second gunman fired at him.
At a press conference in a Lahore hospital on Friday evening, one day after being shot in the town of Wazirabad, Mr Khan, 70, described the attack as he led a march of supporters to the capital Islamabad to push for early elections.
Sitting in a wheelchair with his right leg in a cast and his left leg heavily bandaged, Mr Khan accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced him following a vote of no confidence in April, of masterminding the attack along with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, a director general in the country’s powerful Inter-Service Intelligence.
"These three decided to kill me," he said.
The government has denied the accusation, and blames the assassination attempt on a lone assailant fuelled by religious extremism. The military called Mr Khan's accusations "baseless and irresponsible" and said it was taking legal action against him.
Mr Khan was looking out at the crowd when bullets were sprayed at his modified container truck as it slowly inched through a thick crowd in Wazirabad, about 170 kilometres east of Islamabad.
"Bullets hit my leg, and when I was falling there was another burst," he told reporters.
"There were two men. Had they synchronised well, I would have not survived.
"One of them was caught and he is being touted as a religious fanatic. He was not a religious fanatic – there was an elaborate plan behind this."
Naveed Ahmad, the man arrested for the shooting, comes from a poor village near the site where Mr Khan was shot.
In a video leaked by police to the media, he accused Mr Khan of "misleading the public".
He said he was angry at the noise from the rally interrupting the call to prayer that summons Muslims to the mosque five times a day.
Pakistani media reported that at least seven to eights bullets were fired before the attacker was overpowered by supporters of Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.
One person was killed and at least 10 injured in the shooting, which has deepened the political crisis that has gripped Pakistan since Mr Khan's ousting and comes at a time when the country is struggling with the aftermath of devastating floods and an economic crisis.
Mr Khan said he would resume his so-called "long march" on the capital when he had recovered from his wounds.
"One bullet hit the upper part of my leg, one bullet passed near my main artery and another stopped near it," he said, calling his survival "mercy from Allah".
"The day I'm well, I'll hit the streets again."
He warned that the attempt on his life could prompt widespread anti-government protests like those in Sri Lanka earlier this year.
“Either we will have a peaceful revolution or a bloody one,” he said. “People will take to the streets like Sri Lanka. There will be chaos.”
Earlier on Friday, scattered protests broke out around the country after afternoon prayers, with police deploying tear gas in several cities to control crowds.
Mr Khan’s party called on supporters to join protests in all the country’s major cities at 5pm on Saturday, former finance minister and party leader Asad Umar said in a Twitter message.
Pakistan has witnessed several political assassinations in the past, including of its first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, who was shot dead at a rally in Rawalpindi in 1951.
Another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was killed in 2007 when a huge bomb detonated near her vehicle as she greeted supporters in the city of Rawalpindi.
— With reporting from AFP and Bloomberg.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
