Terrorist hired to ‘assassinate’ Imran

Fayyaz Chohan alleges terrorist 'Cochi' hired to target PTI leader

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fayyaz Chohan on Saturday dropped a bombshell, claiming that a terrorist has been hired to assassinate former prime minister Imran Khan.

“I have details that some people have ordered a terrorist named 'Cochi' in Afghanistan to assassinate PTI Chairman Imran Khan,” the former provincial minister said in a tweet.

Chohan did not specify who was he accusing of tasking the assassin to murder the former prime minister, who has ousted from office in a parliamentary revolt earlier this year.

However, similar versions of such claims have been echoed in a slew of statements from the PTI’s top leadership, including Imran Khan himself who has repeatedly dialled up on his claims that his life was in danger ever since his regime was removed through a “foreign conspiracy”.

In May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also directed relevant authorities to provide foolproof security to his predecessor Imran Khan after the PTI chairperson said on multiple occasions that there was a threat to his life.

The premier instructed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to provide the "best security" to the PTI chief.

Separately, the Prime Minister's Office had said that similar instructions were also issued to the provincial governments. "Moreover, a chief security officer has also been provided to [the] former prime minister on the directions of [the] PM," it added.

During a rally on May 14 in Sialkot, Imran Khan had claimed an “assassination attempt” was being hatched against him – video evidence of which was kept in a “secure place”.

The former prime minister, who was addressing a charged public gathering before his ‘Azadi March’, said a plot was being orchestrated against his life, saying: “I have named all those elements involved in the conspiracy in the video. I knew about it and I got full knowledge of it a few days ago.”

Explaining why he recorded the video, Imran said, “If something happens to me, I want to let Pakistanis know who was involved inside and outside the country.”

He said he tried to expose in the video the conspirators who had colluded with the “looters” in the country, adding that his video would essentially expose all ‘traitors’ and everyone who had a role in the alleged conspiracy.

He claimed a conspiracy was hatched against him "in closed rooms in and outside the country".

Furthermore, before he was ousted, the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry had also claimed that security agencies have reported an "assassination plan" against Khan.

The claim about the purported threat to Imran's life was first made by Faisal Vawda during the last few weeks of his government in late March.