The former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan escaped an attempted assassination on Thursday, which could have added his name to the tragic list of political figures who have died.
If we look back in time, we never saw a government or court-formed investigation committee present a conclusive report. Sadly, the justice system in our country is so incompetent that it is unable to even decide who assassinated its politician. A country where the cost of living is less expensive than Roti, Kapra, or Makaan cannot afford any more tragic incidents.
The circumstances behind the attempted murder of Imran Khan are more convoluted than they seem, and the script’s execution falls way short.
The suspected killer was detained by the public around 15 minutes after the media began reporting on the incident, but there are still rumours and uncertainties regarding whether he was the attacker or just a diversion.
Leaving all theories aside and digging deep into the confessional statement which was released hours into the attack, it gives a clear indication of a poorly rehearsed script.
The start of the first video released on November 3 shows a police officer in the background stating, “It’s almost done sir,” which is rather shocking considering who that officer was taking directions from because PTI is in power in Punjab.
The confessional statement of attacker Muhammad Naveed begins with ‘Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh’ which is like an establishing scene of a movie. It was like telling what the audience is going to witness is done by a religious fanatic and a brainwashed individual.
Imran Khan himself has stated on several occasions that anytime I am attacked, a small number of individuals would attempt to depict it as a singular act carried out by someone motivated by incorrect religious beliefs.
The attacker then went on to say, Imran Khan was misguiding people, that’s why I killed him, tried to kill him… only him.
The contradiction gets quite exposed in the next sentence where the attacker uses religion saying that music was playing on speakers while Azan was going on and that it was an instant and impulsive decision to attack Khan but in the very next line he claimed to make up his mind ever since PTI started a long march from Lahore.
He then claimed in front of a police officer who may or may not be feeding words to the attacker, that he was solely responsible for this attack and no one else is responsible.
CM Punjab Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi suspended the whole police station that is located in his home city of Gujrat following the debacle of the produced and leaked video, which was an attempt to influence the inquiry into this matter.
The rising action since Thursday’s events raises more questions, especially when, on Friday morning, a second video of the suspected attacker appears in which he reiterates his prior claims that he was the only person responsible for the former prime minister’s assassination attempt.
According to the attacker, “I attacked Imran Khan because he made claims of ‘prophethood’ that I found offensive.” This is his third claim in the past 24 hours, which seems like a minor script change.
Additionally, he noted that he listens to Dr. Israr Ahmad and TLP’s Chief Saad Rizvi. He also discussed the advantages of Facebook and social media, which is extremely fascinating.
The attacker said that he bought a pistol in Wazirabad for PKR 20,000 from a man named Butt through a man named Waqas. Additionally, he claimed to have fired 7 to 8 of the 26, 27 bullets in the weapon.
Attacker Naveed more likely to appear as a pawn in the larger perspective, particularly if we connect the dots between Imran Khan’s helicopter making multiple emergency landings and the arrest of suspects nearby Khan’s Bani Gala residence in Islamabad.
Every development around this incident looks to be an attempt to produce a high-budget blockbuster film with a lousy plot, screenplay, and even worse editing.
The director of this film is still a mystery, and we will see plenty of statements, inconsistencies, and conspiracy theories about it in the coming days. Internal forces may be at play or even outside influence, but it’s important to remember that Pakistan has repeatedly failed to protect both its citizens and its leaders.
No storyteller should be permitted to undermine the peace of Pakistan’s citizens because the nation has experienced unprecedented levels of carnage. God bless Pakistan.
