World News | JIT Interrogates Suspect Arrested for Assassination Attempt on Imran Khan
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. A joint investigation team (JIT) set up to probe the assassination attempt on former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has started interrogating the lone suspect, a senior Punjab officer said on Friday.
Lahore, Nov 18 (PTI) A joint investigation team (JIT) set up to probe the assassination attempt on former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has started interrogating the lone suspect, a senior Punjab officer said on Friday.
The JIT has been formed by the Punjab government which is a coalition of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q).
Khan, 70, was injured on November 3 in the shooting at a rally in the Wazirabad area of Punjab, some 150 km from Lahore.
On Thursday, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Gujranwala granted the JIT 12-day custody of Muhammad Naveed, the 'lone arrested suspect' who opened fire at Khan during the rally.
"The JIT headed by Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar is investigating the case from all aspects. It is also interrogating the suspect to see whether he acted at the behest of someone else," the officer told PTI.
He said although the suspect claims that he acted "all alone", the JIT is dismissive of it and has extended the scope of the investigation.
The police produced Naveed before the ATC for the first time on Thursday after he was arrested on November 3.
ATC Judge Rana Zahid Khan granted the physical remand of the suspect to the JIT for 12 days and summoned the JIT head to the next hearing on November 29.
Meanwhile, Khan has termed the arrested suspect a "trained shooter" sent by those who wanted to kill him.
He had earlier named Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and spy agency ISI's Maj Gen Faisal Naseer behind the assassination attempt.
He also has expressed his inability to get an FIR registered against these three high-profile suspects despite being the country's former premier and having his party in power in Punjab province.
Khan and his party members have been on the roads for weeks to press the Shehbaz Sharif government for fresh elections.
His party's long march, briefly disrupted after the attack, was resumed a week later on November 10.
It is expected to reach Islamabad in the last week of this month where Khan will join it from Rawalpindi once it gets there.
Speaking to the media and his party's long march separately, Khan said those who tried to take his life would make another attempt.
"They know they cannot beat me in elections and they may try to eliminate me," he alleged.
He addressed the long march in the Dina area of Punjab province and told them that he would announce the date of joining the long march on Saturday.
He said efforts were made to 'destroy evidence' in the attack on him.
He further alleged that the previous Inspector General Police Punjab was involved in this as he was taking orders from someone else, a reference to the military establishment.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)