‘Murder plot on Imran’: Pakistan’s stormy history includes many political assassinations

Imran Khan, the former prime minister and head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has stated that his life is in danger. Given Pakistan’s terrible history, it is possible that this is just another political tactic by the cricketer-turned-leader. Since the country’s inception in 1947, several political leaders have been killed. Imran Khan is the most recent person to declare that he is the subject of assassination attempts.

Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, Liaqat Ali Khan, was slain on the stage known as Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi’s Company Baugh. General Zia-ul Haq’s military dictatorship executed another loyal Pakistani politician, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He was executed at a short distance from Liaqat Baugh. Zia Ul Haq died in an aircraft crash nine years after he was executed. Some suspect it was a murder. Despite tight security and death threats, Pakistan’s two-time Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in the same city.

Her husband, according to media sources, declined to do a postmortem on her body. While everyone realises that a post-mortem examination is required to determine the cause of death, it was not performed in the case of Benazir Bhutto, and her assassins were never captured. In response to ‘severe danger signals,’ Imran Khan displayed a letter of threat from America in a public assembly, same as Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto did in Rawalpindi. When his administration was overthrown, Imran Khan started a national protest campaign.

In April, large crowds gathered in Peshawar and Karachi for two consecutive demonstrations in favor of Khan. According to the statement, ‘in light of severe threat alerts received from security agencies at the district and provincial levels, it was recommended that ex-prime minister Imran Khan address the public gathering virtually via video conference and LED display rather than making a physical appearance on April 21 at Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore.’

Since the country’s founding, Pakistani leaders’ lives have been riddled with danger. The Pakistani politician who dies naturally is lucky. Pakistani leaders were hanged, shot, and assassinated. There was also an unusual plane disaster. Benazir Bhutto, who was also slain, was no stranger to violence. Her father and two brothers were both killed.