Lahore:
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Saturday handed down life imprisonment on two counts to a man who shot at and injured former prime minister Imran Khan in November 2022.
The Gujranwala Anti-Terrorism Court announced its verdict in the Imran Khan attack case.
A court official said prime accused Muhammad Naveed has been convicted not for injuring Khan but other offences.
“Naveed is sentenced to life imprisonment under charges of terrorism and the murder of Khan’s party (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf) activist Moazzam. He was also slapped with a fine of PKR 500,000,” the official said.
The official said Naveed has been sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years for injuring four individuals.
The court, however, acquitted Naveed on the charges of injuring Khan and eight others as they didn’t appear before the court to join the proceedings.
“Despite repeated summons by the court, Khan and eight others did not appear before the court,” the official said.
The court acquitted two co-accused — Tayyab Jahangir Butt and Waqas.
All sentences against Naveed would run concurrently.
Khan suffered bullet injuries on his right leg during the assassination attempt by two shooters during a political rally in Punjab province’s Wazirabad area, some 200 km from Lahore, in November 2022. One person was killed and over a dozen suffered injuries in the attack.
Khan had blamed a top ISI official, then prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and ex-interior minister Rana Sanaullah for making a plot of his assassination.
Khan had filed a police complaint against them but FIR was not registered.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Hindkesharistaff and is published from a syndicated feed.)