FOOTPRINTS Remnants of a 'bloody' march.

A heavy contingent of police is deployed at the crime scene on old GT Road, while a large crew of national and international news channels stands alert on the opposite side of the road with their digital transmission vans and other gadgets pointed at it.

Traffic continues to flow in opposite directions on a single track of this dual carriageway as a small portion of the other track, where PTI Chairman Imran Khan's container is parked, is completely cordoned off. A team of forensic experts is busy examining the container.

This packed area is the scene of Thursday's assassination attempt on former prime minister Imran Khan that caused the death of a PTI worker and injuries to at least 14 others, including party lawmakers. A suspected assailant was overpowered by a local party worker and police soon after he fired a volley of bullets at the container carrying Mr Khan and senior PTI leaders.

Friday is a local holiday in the Wazirabad town, some 100 kilometres from Lahore, owing to which traffic remained below normal here. However, some fruit vendors, tea stalls and a few eateries and bakeries were open for business near Zafar Ali Khan Chowk, just yards away from the crime scene.

A handful of PTI workers wearing party caps and carrying flags were seen trying to block traffic by making a human chain at the intersection, but dispersed after several motorists, traffic constables and a few fellow workers persuaded them not to hinder the flow of vehicles.

Upon inquiry, it emerged that none of them belonged to Wazirabad and had come from different parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A party worker, Abid, and his fellow from Minchinabad said they were accompanying the long march since it started from Lahore on Oct 29 on a container painted with PTI slogans and portraits of party leaders.

They were, however, skeptical of the reaction of local party workers after Thursday's incident, and one of them complained he was disappointed with the response the march received from Wazirabad. However, a senior party worker from Faisalabad suddenly interrupted and stopped his fellow from expressing such sentiments, saying people would come out when Mr Khan ordered or announced his own return.

Later, following the funeral prayers of Mozzam Gondal, the lone victim of ThuArsday's attack, after Friday prayers, scores of local PTI supporters gathered along the GT Road and staged a protest by blocking the main highway and burning tyres.

Gondal, 35, is survived by four...