ANP demands transparent probe into gun attack on Imran.

PESHAWAR -- The Awami National Party on Monday condemned the recent attempt on the life of former prime minister Imran Khan during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's 'Haqeeqi Azadi' march on Islamabad and called for a transparent probe into the gun attack to expose culprits.

ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain told a presser here that the Wazirabad attack on Mr Imran was a tragic incident, which had been condemned by his party in strong words.

He urged the PTI to cooperate with investigators and medico-legal teams instead of politicising the incident.

Accompanied by central spokesperson for the ANP Zahid Khan, secretary (foreign affairs) Syed Aqil Shah, provincial senior vice-president and MPA Khushdal Khan, vice-president Shahi Khan Shirani and MPA Shagufta Malik, Mr Hussain said his party had political differences with the PTI but it had never supported violence against political rivals.

Party leader Iftikhar urges PTI not politicise incident

He said Mr Imran had made the firing incident controversial through his statements and that the PTI chief's style of politics was pushing the country towards a civil war.

'A drama is being staged by the PTI to write a medico-legal report of its own choice. I wonder why the team going to secure medico-legal report wasn't allowed to meet Imran,' he said.

The ANP general secretary said the language used by Mr Imran was not politically correct.

He said a high-level investigation should be held into the gun attack to bring out all facts.

Mr Hussain said accusations and demands before the investigation happened were not appropriate. He said if the PTI chief thought that the party's 'long march' on Islamabad would win him the prime minister's office back, he was mistaken.

The ANP leader said Mr Imran had denigrated democracy and showed a lack of respect for parliament during his term as the prime minister. He alleged that the PTI government targeted political rivals for revenge and destroyed state institutions.

'Today when he [Imran] has been removed from the prime minister's office in a constitutional manner, he is now becoming a champion of democracy,' he said.

Mr Hussain wondered why the PTI-backed government in Punjab was...