Imran, sons get additional security cover

Imran Khan and his sons have been provided with an additional squad of commandos from the Kyber Pakhtaunkhawa provincial police, days after the former Pakistan prime minister survived an assassination bid in Punjab province. Although Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has its coalition government in Punjab province, the party is not trusting Punjab police after the assassination attempt on his life in which he suffered bullet injuries to his right leg last week in Wazirabad area, some 150kms from Lahore. Khan, 70, suffered bullet injuries in the right leg on November 3 when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him and others mounting on a container-mounted truck in the Wazirabad area of Punjab province, where he was leading a protest march against the Shehbaz Sharif government. He underwent surgery for bullet injuries at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore owned by his charitable organisation. The additional set of commandos to guard Khan and his family in Lahore belongs to the Kyber Pakhtaunkhawa (KP) provincial police. “A special squad of commandos of KP police on Friday took over the personal security of Imran Khan and his sons,” the PTI said. Khan’s two sons arrived here on Thursday to meet their father. The Punjab police on the other hand beefed up the security of the Zaman Park residence of Khan. A security wall of sand bags and cement blocks has been set up outside his house. Besides, check posts are also set up at the entry and exit points of his house and security cameras are installed there. A special desk was also set up to keep a record of visitors to the former premier’s residence. “We have latest reports that Imran Khan has life threats. Therefore, his security has been beefed up,” Special Assistant to the chief minister on Home Affairs Omar Sarfraz Cheema said. He said that there would be no compromise on the security of Imran Khan. Meanwhile, Khan on Friday through a video link from his home addressed the party’s long march that is heading to Islamabad to push the coalition government of Shehbaz Sharif to call for fresh elections. The PTI’s march to Islamabad led by the party’s vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi resumed on Thursday from Wazirabad where an assassination attempt on its chairman Imran Khan was made a week ago. On Friday it reached Toba Tek Singh, over 200 kms from Lahore where charged workers raised slogans against the ‘powerful quarters’ for not letting the Punjab government to include the name of three high-profile suspects — Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and ISI Counter Intelligence Wing head Maj-Gen Faisal Naseer — who were allegedly involved in the assignation attempt on Imran Khan. Urging the nation to take part in the long march against the ‘thieves and their handlers’ Khan said: “Remember… if we act like cattle, then God will let us remain like this. The nations seldom get a chance to change their fate.” Khan once again demanded the appointment of a new army chief on ‘merit.’ Incumbent Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure is set to end on November 29. Khan said the Sharifs and Zardari wanted the army chief of their choice to ”protect their looted money and wanted to steal more”. Earlier, Khan had declared that the Sharifs and the Zardaris were unfit to make the appointment to the top military officers on the basis that “thieves cannot be allowed” to do so.