Islamabad Warns of Possible Terror Attacks During Imran Khan's Rally This Week

Following a bullet injury, Khan could possibly re-join the march in the presence of thousands of his supporters on Saturday.

A possible terrorist attack by “radicalized youth” or even international groups, such as Al-Qaeda*, Daesh* and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)* against ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan could be on the cards ahead of a planned gathering in Rawalpindi this weekend, according to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry.

Khan sustained bullet injuries during an alleged assassination attempt on November 3, days after kicking off the “long march” to Islamabad in the last week of October. Thousands of Khan’s supporters, backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, resumed the march without their leader on November 10.

However, in a letter sent to PTI General Secretary Asad Umar, the Interior Ministry said that the PTI “may consider the possibility of postponing public gatherings, like the one planned in Rawalpindi on November 26, to avoid any untoward incident."

The ministry noted that it has been sharing alerts on “threats” to Khan’s life from “anti-state elements” based on alerts from “credible intelligence sources," adding that it “regrets” that Khan has largely remained “oblivious” to these assessments as he continues to hold large-scale public gatherings.

The interior ministry underlined that Khan’s widely attended public gatherings could serve as “soft targets” not only for terrorist groups, but also for radical organizations, such as Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

Khan banned the TLP when he was in power as group members initiated large-scale protests across the country, fatally clashing with police.

The ministry also suggested the possible attacks against Khan and his supporters could be suicide bombings, improvised explosive device attacks or “lone-wolf attacks”.

It noted that although al-Qaeda has been “dormant” for quite some time, the group still possesses the “penchant for conducting attacks of strategic implications."

Khan has been holding large-scale public gatherings since he was ousted from power in a no-confidence motion in April by Shehbaz Sharif, then leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

The ex-PM has squarely blamed the US for instigating the no-confidence motion over its unhappiness with Islamabad’s “independent foreign policy” under the previous PTI government.

Khan has been calling on the government to hold a snap election, which is also the primary demand of the ongoing ‘Long March’ to Islamabad.

* Terrorist organizations banned in Russia and other countries