EDITORIAL: It seemed a rather unnecessary exercise when before Imran Khan addressed his first press conference from Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Dr Faisal Sultan explained in detail with the help of an x-ray where four bullets hit Khan in his legs during November 4 gun attack on him in Wazirabad. That it was a thoughtful decision soon became clear as federal ministers Khwaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal expressed doubts about Khan’s injuries.
Then the head of the ruling PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) coalition and JUI-F (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman held a press conference where he described the attack on the former prime minister’s life as drama in which “Imran outclassed [Indian film superstars] Shahrukh and Salman Khan.” All this goes on to show how insensitive and bereft of basic humanity these leaders are.
If that was not bad enough, on Monday Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah came out in his usual nonsensical manner to challenge Khan to prove he received four bullets. How does the number of bullets matter? Even one bullet can be fatal. But reason is not one of the minister’s strong points.
He also told reporters he would quit politics if an independent medical board confirmed Khan’s claims “otherwise, Imran Khan should quit politics forever”. Khan, of course, does not need to prove anything to the Interior Minister; it is for the courts to decide the case based on evidence, of which there is aplenty. There are countless people who were either hit by the would-be assassin(s) bullets or witnessed the incident first-hand, while one person lost his life. Secondly, for Rana Sahib to compare himself in political stature with the leader of the country’s largest and most popular party is quite a stretch. The less said about it the better.
In any event, the minister, one of the three persons along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a senior army officer whom Khan has accused of being behind a purported conspiracy to assassinate him, also said there was no doubt in his mind that the attack was a case of religious extremism, and took place due to “irresponsible remarks” uttered by Khan on many occasions. In other words, he got what he deserved. This can easily be seen as an attempt at cover-up.
Besides, according to those present on the scene of the incident, bullets were fired from more than one direction.
Pending investigations, no one can say what drove the attacker(s) to do the evil deed. Let alone completion of investigations into the incident, so far the police have not even registered a proper first information report (FIR), which they are duty bound to write as stated by the aggrieved party. Instead, even after the Supreme Court ordered the provincial police chief to have the FIR registered, the police filed its own version. That only strengthens suspicions that the case is more complicated than being made out by Rana Sahib and some of his cabinet colleagues.
It has shaken whatever little trust the people had in the system. It is not just a case between the accuser and the accused, the people also want to know the facts, and see those responsible held to account. Nothing less than an independent, transparent investigation into that shocking incident would be acceptable.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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