Political mudslinging has begun in Pakistan after an assassination attempt was made on former prime minister Imran Khan during a rally in the Punjab province.
He has since held both the coalition government and military establishment responsible for the attack.
“When they aren’t being ousted by the military, via coups or political skullduggery, they have been killed – from the country’s first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Benazir Bhutto,” he worte for Israeli newspaper.
In a confessional video making rounds of social media, after the assassination bid on the cricketer-turned-politician, the suspect said, “He (Khan) was leading the people astray, and I couldn’t stand it… While the Azaan (call for prayer) was going on, they were creating noise on decks (woofers). My conscience did not accept that.”
“They (Khan’s government) accepted Israel. Accepting Israel is not something a Muslim should do. Our Prophet said only a kafir can be friends with another kafir, and will also become kafir alongside them,” the shooter said, according to Haaretz, citing acceptance for Israel as the rationale for attacking Khan.
According to Pakistan-based Kunwar Shahid, Khan has been an active peddler of much of what his attacker alleges motivated his attempted assassination and the instrumentalization of violence itself for political gain.
Shahid said Khan is hardly the first Pakistani leader to endorse venomous narratives for political gains.