Gulf Today Report
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, who survived an assassination attempt on his life at his Long March rally in Wazirabad signed a T-shirt for the youth who risked his life to prevent a shooter planning to kill him.
Ibtisam Hassan, the young man in a Fila T-shirt identified in the CCTV video, seized the gunman and took the gun away from him.
PTI members hailed the man as a “saviour” and a video reportedly showed them carrying him over their shoulders and showering him with flowers for his brave act. On Friday, Ibtisam met Imran at the hospital where he is recovering.
A video shared online showed Imran, from his hospital bed, signing the Fila T-shirt.
Ibtisam took to Twitter and said, “Thank you my captain for such an honour, I will be grateful.
Your life is very important for all Pakistanis, may Allah give you a speedy recovery.”
Ibtisam told media that while Imran was delivering a speech, he saw a man loading his gun and firing a shot.
Ibtisam jumped at the attacker and pinned him down.
The assailant fired a shot that reportedly killed a man.
Imran told media from the hospital, “Three people made a plan to assassinate me in Wazirabad.”
Imran also said that that “four people hatched a plan to assassinate me some time back…”
The former Pakistani prime minister accused the current premier Shehbaz Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and a senior army commander of plotting a botched assassination attempt.
Pakistan has been no stranger to assassination attempts during decades of political instability, and the powerful military has led the country several times.
Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was shot dead at a rally in Rawalpindi in 1951.
Another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was killed in 2007 when a huge bomb detonated near her vehicle as she greeted supporters in the city of Rawalpindi.