Pakistan's interior minister injured in assassination attempt

ISLAMABAD, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot and injured in an assassination attempt during a rally in Narowal district of the country's eastern Punjab province on Sunday evening, police said.

File photo taken on April 26, 2018 shows Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal speaking during an event in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot and injured in an assassination attempt during a rally in Narowal district of the country's eastern Punjab province on Sunday evening, police said. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

A spokesperson of the Punjab government said the minister is out of danger and has been airlifted by a helicopter to a hospital in Lahore, capital of the province.

District Police Officer of Narowal Imran Kishwar said a local resident opened fire at the minister soon after he concluded his speech during a rally in Kanjrur town of the district, the minister's hometown.

The gunman Abid Hussain, 22, merely managed to fire one shot from a distance of 10 to 12 meters, and the bullet hit the minister's right arm.

The suspect was arrested by the police soon after he fired the shot, the officer said.

The minister was rushed to the District Hospital in Narowal where he underwent initial surgery.

Leaders from all political parties of the country strongly condemned the attack and urged the government to ensure the security of politicians as well as common citizens.

Soon after the attack, members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz took to the streets in different cities and launched a protest against the attack.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also condemned the attack and ordered the police to trace the planners behind the attack.

Local media quoting eyewitnesses as saying that soon after the firing, the gunman announced that he attacked to revenge because Iqbal's men killed his relative in the past.

However, some reports said the attacker, in his confessional statement, said he attacked Iqbal because the minister was among the ruling party's members who changed a religious law last year.

Security agencies had already informed the minister about a possible attack on him, local media reported.

The reports were not confirmed by any official yet.

Iqbal is considered among the top brains of Pakistan's political elite. He is performing his duties along with two portfolios, including minister of interior and minister of planning, development and reform.