Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan shot in assassination attempt

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Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been shot in what his supporters are calling an assassination attempt.

The ex-cricketer was giving a speech at a rally in Wazirabad when a gunman reportedly opened fire.

He previously captained Pakistan in Test cricket

Multiple reports say the 70-year-old is injured but will survive after being hit, although it is not clear whether he was struck in the foot or leg.

A senior aide told AFP news agency: “This was an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him.”

Members of Khan’s PTI party claim four more people were hurt in the attack but nobody has been killed.

Khan is one of Test cricket’s greatest-ever all-rounders and ended his career of 88 matches with 3807 runs and 362 wickets.

He served as Pakistan’s prime minister between August 2018 and April 2022, before being outsted by a no-confidence motion.

Khan had been accused of falsely declaring details of gifts from foreign dignitaries, including Rolex watches, a ring and a pair of cuff links.

The former Pakistan captain has been pushing for new elections despite being disqualified from holding public office.

The shooting came on the sixth day of a march from Lahore to Islamabad, which has featured fiery speeches from Khan calling for radical change.

Sky News had just interviewed Khan at the scene about the threat of violence at the march and he described it as a ‘peaceful protest’.

“The injured were taken into an ambulance… a lot of panic… people rushing. No one could quite work out what was happening,” said Sky News reporter Sarah Lynch.

“Then Imran Khan emerged. He had been shot, I understand, in the left leg.

“In fact, our producer here, Mohammed, was able to see that. He was very close to Imran Khan as he emerged.

“He was taken away… a doctor, who was close by, treated three patients.”

She added: “This was the worst case scenario – what so many people were concerned about was that this peaceful protest had the potential to turn violent.”