'Imran Khan staged his assassination bid': Pakistan govt calls former PM 'fraud'

The Pakistan government has said that Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan Niazi staged his own assassination attempt. The statement was made by Information Broadcasting Minister Marrium Aurangzeb, during a press conference. In the press conference, Marrium said something to the effect of "he (Imran Khan) did a long march and in that long march, he staged his own assassination attempt". 

An attempt was made on Khan's life on November 3 last year, when he was giving a speech in Wazirabad, which is located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The minister has not provided any evidence to back her claim. She went on to speak about Imran Khan's engagement in corrupt activities, such as stealing objects from the Toshakhana. She said that Khan's dubious activities are not normal. She went on to say that Khan cooked up fake receipts, to hide his theft and then attempted to hide it in the name of maintaining "good ties with nations". "Are you not ashamed," she asked rhetorically, during the press conference. She also labelled Khan a "fraud". She said the people of Pakistan should know the truth. 

A look at past

Pakistan has a long and tragic history of assassination attempts on its leaders. Here are some of the major incidents:

Liaquat Ali Khan (1951): Liaquat Ali Khan was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, and he was assassinated in 1951 during a public meeting in Rawalpindi. The motive behind his assassination is still a matter of debate, but some historians believe that it was an act of revenge by some disgruntled politicians.

Ayub Khan (1960): Ayub Khan was Pakistan's second military dictator, and he survived two assassination attempts during his rule. The first attempt was in 1960 when a group of army officers planned to overthrow him. The second attempt was in 1962 when a disgruntled young man tried to shoot him.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1971, 1974): Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, and he was overthrown in a military coup in 1977. However, before that, he survived two assassination attempts. The first attempt was in 1971 when he was shot at while addressing a public gathering in Multan. The second attempt was in 1974 when his plane was attacked while he was on a foreign visit.

Pervez Musharraf (2003, 2007): Pervez Musharraf was Pakistan's military dictator from 1999 to 2008, and he survived two assassination attempts during his rule. The first attempt was in 2003 when a suicide bomber targeted his convoy in Rawalpindi. The second attempt was in 2007 when a group of militants attacked his convoy in the same city.

Benazir Bhutto (1993, 2007): Benazir Bhutto was Pakistan's first female Prime Minister, and she was assassinated in 2007 while campaigning for the general elections. However, before that, she survived an assassination attempt in 1993 when a car bomb exploded outside her residence in Karachi.