On November 3rd, 2022, Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, was shot in the shin in what is believed to have been an assassination attempt. He is currently in stable condition. Khan was ousted from his role following a defeat in the parliamentary confidence vote in April and was rallying for snap elections when the attack occurred. The gunman killed one member of Khan’s convoy and was arrested at the scene.   

The attack took place in Wazirabad in the eastern Punjab district, home of Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Protests have since erupted in the region, some leading to heavy roadblocks and traffic jams. Prior to the incident, Khan was traveling to the capital, Islamabad, in order to further push the government for an early election to reinstate himself to power. He was disqualified from holding public office for five years in April after it was alleged that he was illegally selling state gifts and concealing his assets. 

Khan has claimed that the no-confidence vote was conspired by his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, and the United States–claims that both have denied. PTI party officials have also blamed Sharif for the shooting, which the government has condemned. Sharif has said that the government intends to have no early vote and that the next elections will be held, as scheduled, in 2023.