The PTI has rejected the FIR against the attempt on PTI Chairman Imran Khan's life during the party's anti-government rally, calling it "a mockery of Supreme Court's order" as the police finally registered a case following the top court's directive, several days after the assassination bid in Wazirabad.
With insistence on registration of FIR as per demands, the PTI shows no intent to step back without "achieving target". However, the party has changed its plans for the third time and will now be resuming its long march from Thursday instead of Wednesday following a brief pause due to Khan's injury in an attempt on his life last week.
Islamabad Capital City Police has warned of legal action against protests without permission in the federal capital ahead of the resumption.
The patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Dr Tahirul Qadri said that Chairman Imran Khan would not have been assaulted had justice been done in the Model Town massacre case.
"No one knows whether friends or enemies are involved in the gun attack on the PTI chief," he said, speaking to journalists in Toronto.
"Friends may also be involved in the attack."
He emphasized that an accused is named in the FIR, which should be supported by evidence.
Dr Tahirul Qadri condemned the attempted assassination of Imran Khan on November 3 when the PTI chief came under a gun attack.
"I am deeply saddened to hear about the sad incident of firing at Imran Khan. I pray for the quick recovery of Imran Khan and his other party leaders who got injured in the incident," he tweeted.
12:00am — PTI Chairman Imran Khan has demanded independent investigations into the assassination attempt on his life during the long march in Wazirabad.
In an interview with TRT, Khan claimed that four people devised the plot to kill him, adding that he had told the people about the plot four months ago.
“I was already expecting something to happen,” the former prime minister added.
Referring to the suspect’s confessional statement issued on media minutes after the attack on Khan, the former prime minister said the coalition government and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah deliberately aired such a video to link the incident with religion and divert people’s attention from the four people.
“Bulletproof glasses don't matter for the powerful people who planned to kill me,” said Khan.
Khan said he had been receiving threats for the past few months from the government in connection with the long march. “I have decided not to compromise on the struggle for Haqeeqi Azadi,” said the PTI leader.
“Assassination attempt on my life is our internal issue and we have to resolve it here,” he added.
The former prime minister said that the only way forward is to let the people elect the government of their choice.
Responding to another question, Khan said the PTI has failed to lodge an FIR of the attack despite having its government in Punjab.
“I could not register an FIR against the three people. The Punjab police have refused to lodge the FIR,” Khan added.
The PTI leader asked: “The question is here who is controlling the Punjab Police?”
In a survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research, 59% of the survey respondents voiced against PTI's long march.
Meanwhile, 32% of the respondents favoured the long march.
Fifty-four per cent of people suggested the PTI take their protest to the National Assembly, instead of staging protests on the streets.
In the past, the public had also suggested the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) take their protests to the NA.
Thirty-eight per cent said that the PTI will not benefit from the march, while 35% have shown confidence in the long march.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan has asked his party's workers and leaders to end their protests across the country, except for those taking place in Islamabad and the areas near the federal capital, sources told Geo News.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif wrote another letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday requesting the formation of a judicial commission to probe the attempted assassination of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The prime minister, in his letter, has asked the CJP to form a judicial commission comprised of the Supreme Court's all available judges.
The commission, as stated in the letter, can specifically examine five questions to understand which law enforcement agencies were responsible to provide security to the convoy; whether security protocols and other standard operating procedures were put in place to secure the convoy, and whether these protocols were adhered to; examine the facts of the incident.
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LAHORE: Federal government Tuesday wrote a letter to the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seeking the maintenance of law and order situation amid the protests following the assassination attack on PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The government, in its letter, has provided a charge sheet to both the provincial governments warning Punjab and KP of "serious consequences" if law and order is not ensured.
Khan was shot in the legs last week in Wazirabad during the long march and since then, PTI has been holding back-to-back protests across the country, disturbing the daily routine of people and causing damage to property.
6:40pm — PTI rejects FIR lodged in Wazirabad incident, lawyers to approach court
After the PTI rejected the FIR lodged in the Wazirabad incident, Fawad Chaudhry said party chief Imran Khan has directed the lawyers to approach the court for the registration of an FIR of the Wazirabad attack.
"...in the way that IG Punjab and DPO Gujarat tampered with the evidence due to pressure from unknown people is a cognizable offence," Chaudhry said.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan called the first information report (FIR) registered on the Wazirabad incident "farcical" and said he would give his position through his lawyers.
"All my life I dreamt of seeing my country as a prospering welfare state and my struggle throughout has been to make this dream a reality for my nation.
Khan the nation has awakened, understood, and risen in support of his message of justice, freedom, and national sovereignty.
"When we are so close to our goal no fear or threat of death can stop my struggle. Our peaceful protests and dialogue are only for Pakistan's Haqeeqi Azadi."
Khan the nation has awakened, understood, and risen in support of his message of justice, freedom, and national sovereignty.
"When we are so close to our goal no fear or threat of death can stop my struggle. Our peaceful protests and dialogue are only for Pakistan's Haqeeqi Azadi."
Senior lawyer Aitizaz Ahsan met PTI Chairman Imran Khan and inquired about his health at the latter's Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah asked the provincial government of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to open up the national highways.
Addressing a press conference, the interior minister said that a “fitna march” is ongoing in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Punjab, adding that roads were being blocked due to this.
“I strongly request the provincial governments to open the national highways immediately,” said Sanaullah. He also apologised to the people affected by the march on behalf of the federal government.
The minister also said that only a few thousand people are protesting in the two provinces and urged the police to keep legal options open.
The PTI workers protested outside the office of Punjab's inspector general of police over the FIR on the attack on Imran Khan in Wazirabad.
The workers set fire to the tires outside the office while the police barricaded the main road outside the IG's office.
A heavy police force has been deployed to stop the protesters.
The police said that the main suspect Naveed has been formally arrested.
Station House Office of Sohdra police station Imtiaz Ahmed has been appointed as the investigating officer case pertaining to the attack on Imran Khan.
Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed said that Islamabad belongs to everyone and that no power can stop PTI from going to the capital.
Rasheed said that the attack on Imran Khan is not the last conspiracy carried out by the mafia.
"These 13 parties are not capable of contesting the polls, they only want a fight between the nation and institutions to extend the date of elections," he added.
PPP leader Saeed Ghani said that Imran Khan is making the institutions of Pakistan controversial therefore the government should register a case of constitutional violation against him.
He said that Khan would have created a fuss if the attacker was killed.
PTI General Secretary Asad Umar said that the reality of the system established in the country has been exposed before the nation.
"Not just a few people but the entire system has been exposed," he wrote in a tweet.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry appreciated Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's statement, saying that he has given a 'mature' statement unlike the toadies in his party.
Fawad also urged Bilawal to release the PTI workers who were arrested and said that they only demanded a transparent investigation into the matter.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called for a "free, fair, and impartial" investigation against the assassination attempt on Imran Khan to bring the facts forward.
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Bilawal highly condemned the incident, saying that this was an attack on the former prime minister and it needs to be investigated in an impartial and proper manner.
The Islamabad Police has sought permission for the clearance of Lahore-Peshawar Motorway blocked by PTI supporters, which is also the road leading to Islamabad airport, in a letter to the interior secretary and chief commissioner.
The police stated in the letter that the airport comes under the banner of vital installations and the ways leading to it hold immense importance.
"All the VVIP movements are made through the same route. The ambassadors and foreigners take the same road to access the federal capital," the letter stated.
Any untoward incident may bring bad name to the country, it added.
However, the airport and ways leading to it come under Punjab government's jurisdiction.
Therefore, the police sought complete authority to clear the routes and called for directives to Punjab chief secretary and Punjab police chief. Moreover, it also asked for all the provinces to be directed to give access to the three toll plazas.
The protests by PTI supporters against the attempt on Imran Khan's life continued at M2 Motorway on the second day as they set the tyres and bushes around the motorway on fire. Long queues of cars formed on the road causing inconvenience to the commuters as the protestors blocked the motorway for traffic.
The Rawalpindi traffic police said that Murree Road is blocked from both sides due to PTI's protest.
Ratta Shah Chowk, GT Road Taxila, and Sarai Kala Chowk are also closed.
It has asked commuters to use internal routes, Old Airport Road, Mall Road and Peshawar Road.
The Lahore High Court dismissed the petition against the arrest without FIR of suspect Naveed who attacked Imran Khan in Wazirabad.
The court said that the petition is ineffective as an FIR has been filed against the suspect.
Justice Anwar-ul-Haq Pannu heard the petition filed by lawyer Dilshad Khan.
The high court had objected that the petitioner is not an affected party.
PTI leader Musarrat Cheema said that "no government official could be more important than the leader who bagged over 20 million votes and with whom the future of this country is affiliated".
"Present yourself for investigations. Why hiding (the matter) when no crime has been committed," she wrote in a tweet.
The PTI is continuing its protest in the Shamsabad area of Rawalpindi.
The demonstration has caused a traffic jam on Murree Road, forcing the public to use the service road.
PTI leaders rejected the FIR, saying that it was "nothing but a piece of paper" as it does not meet their demands.
PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood said that the FIR was a "complete distortion of law", and urged SC to take notice of the matter.
A similar reaction came from other party leaders.
Fawad Chaudhry condemned that the FIR doesn't name the three nominated by Imran Khan. The PTI will only accept an FIR if the names of the three high officials are on it.
Farrukh Habib questioned the "justice" of the police who "couldn't handle the suspect's video."
Hammad Azhar said that names of the individuals nominated by Khan are missing in the FIR.
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