Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan survived a shooting at a political rally on Thursday that his party described as an assassination attempt, which killed one person and injured several others and sparked protests among Khan’s supporters.   

  Video of the alleged attack shows Khan waving from an open truck just outside the city of Gujranwala in Punjab province when shots rang out, sending members of his party ducking for cover.   

  A bullet hit Khan in the leg, said senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar, who later added: “Yes, he was shot, there are pellets in his leg, his bone has been chipped.  he has also been shot in the thigh.’   

  Khan was taken from the rally site to receive treatment in Lahore, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive away, and was in a stable condition, Umar added.   

  A man who allegedly opened fire at the rally was arrested Thursday, police said.  The male suspect was arrested with a 9mm handgun and two empty magazines, police said.   

  At least one person was killed in the incident, according to Faisal Javed, a senior PTI politician and close ally of Khan, who suffered a head injury in the attack.  The victim’s name has not been released.   

  In a video statement, Javed, who is seen sitting while receiving treatment, said: “Please pray for us, for Imran Khan, pray for our colleagues who were seriously injured and pray for our party member who died and died .  ”   

  Earlier on Thursday, Senator Fawad Chaudhry, a senior PTI politician and Khan’s former information minister, said Khan had undergone surgery and six others were injured and were still being treated.   

  “We want to know who is behind the incident, which people trained the accused, what is the thinking with which this boy was prepared, how much money did he get, where did he get it from,” Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry.  Pervaiz Elahi, tweeted.   

  Khan was on the seventh day of a nationwide tour during which he held rallies calling for early elections before next August.  The so-called “long march” started in Lahore on October 28 and was to end in Islamabad after passing through several Pakistani cities.   

  It is among several rallies the former Pakistan cricket legend has held since his dramatic ouster as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April.  During this time, he has repeatedly claimed, without any evidence, that the United States was behind his loss of power.   

  His claims have struck a chord with a young population in a country where anti-American sentiment is high and where the rising cost of living has fueled anti-establishment sentiment.   

  After the shooting, demonstrations in support of Khan broke out across Pakistan on Thursday, including in Islamabad and Peshawar, where around 800 protesters gathered.  They blocked roads for about two hours while holding party flags and shouting slogans against the military and the federal government.   

  Several PTI politicians addressed the crowd, including provincial assembly member Fazal Elahi, who said the attack was part of a conspiracy against the PTI leadership.   

  “Today we held a peaceful protest which will continue in the future,” Elahi said.   

  Thursday’s shooting is likely to further inflame an already tense situation between Khan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has led the campaign to remove him from office.   

  Khan alleges that Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and a senior intelligence official, Lt. Gen. Faisal Nasir, were behind Thursday’s attack.   

  Khan made the allegations in a statement shared by senior PTI leader Umar, who said he spoke to Khan recently.   

  “I received information that this was going to happen beforehand,” Khan said, according to Umar.  “These men must be removed from their positions, if they are not removed then there will be protests.”   

  Sharif, however, condemned Thursday’s attack on his political rival on Twitter.   

  “I condemn the incident of firing on PTI chairman Imran Khan in the strongest possible terms,” ​​Sharif wrote, adding that he sought an “immediate report on the incident” and would pray for the recovery of the injured.   

  “Violence should have no place in the politics of our country,” Sharif wrote.   

  On 21 October, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) proposed barring Khan from holding political office for five years, a move likely to exacerbate political tensions in the country.   

  While reading out the recommendation, ECP chief Sikandar Sultan Raja said Khan was disqualified for engaging in “corrupt practices”.   

  The commission said its decision was based on the argument that Khan had “made false statements” about the declaration of the sale of gifts sent to him by the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Dubai while in power – an offense that is illegal under the constitution of the country.  .   

  This is not the first time that Pakistani politicians have been attacked.   

  Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007 and then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani survived an assassination attempt in 2008.   

  On Thursday, the US condemned the attack on the former prime minister.  “The United States strongly condemns the attack on Imran Khan and his supporters and hopes for the speedy recovery of all those injured.  Violence has no place in politics,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One en route to New Mexico.   

  “We call on all parties to remain peaceful and refrain from violence.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story contained an old photo of Imran Khan that was mistakenly distributed by the Associated Press. Has been removed.