"Drama and lies": Pakistan Democratic Movement on Imran Khan's injury

Islamabad: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), has said that the attack on former prime minister Imran Khan was a “drama”, saying he has outshined Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan in acting skills.

Khan, who suffered bullet injuries in the right leg on Thursday was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after undergoing successful surgery. He has now been moved to a private residence in Lahore.

Casting doubts on the injuries sustained by Khan, the 70-year-old chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI), PDM and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Rahman has said that Khan has "outshined Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan in acting skills," the Express Tribune reported.

“Initially I had sympathised with Imran Khan upon hearing about the Wazirabad episode, but now it seems that it was a drama,” Rahman was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper on the cricketer-turned-politician.

He said the confusion surrounding Khan’s injuries was enough to raise eyebrows. It was not clear whether “a single shot was fired at Imran or more” and whether the injury was “on one leg or on both,'' the report added.

Maulana Fazl also said that it was intriguing that Khan “was taken to Lahore instead of being admitted to a nearby hospital (in Wazirabad)”.

The JUI-F chief contested the PTI’s claim that Khan was injured by “broken pieces” from bullets fired by a man during the long march at Gukkhar on Thursday.

“How is it possible that a bullet broke into pieces? We have heard about a piece from a bomb, but not a bullet.” “Blind people have accepted Khan's lies. We also condemned the (shooting incident) when we heard about the attack on Khan... whether he was hit by one, two, or four bullets or fragments. We have heard bomb fragments but heard of bullet fragments for the first time,” the PDM chief remarked.

“Why is he being treated at a cancer hospital for bullet injuries,” Fazl wondered.

Khan underwent surgery for bullet injuries at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital owned by his charitable organisation.

The JUI-F chief while referring to a statement of the PTI chief’s physician said he heard for the first time that the “aorta is also present in the shin”. “There are contradictions in the statements of the doctors,” he was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune newspaper.

Fazlur said that Imran, who would label others as ‘thieves’, turned out to be a "thief" himself.

A JIT (joint investigation team) should be formed to probe his lies,” the 69-year-old politician said.

Shaukat Khanum Hospital chief executive officer Dr Faisal Sultan on Sunday said that Khan needs at least a few weeks to rest to be fit to resume political activities.

However, addressing a press conference from the hospital on Sunday, Khan said the long march would resume on Tuesday from the point in Wazirabad where 11 people including himself were shot.

The PDM – an alliance of nearly a dozen opposition parties – was formed against the Pakistan Army’s interference in politics and installing “puppet” Prime Minister Khan through a “manipulated” election in 2018.