Protest in Narowal after assassination bid on Ahsan Iqbal

Gun attack on interior minister Ahsan Iqbal prompted protests in Punjab’s Narowal city, Samaa reported Sunday.

PML-N supporters burnt tyres and blocked roads after Ahsan Iqbal was shot and injured in his native town, according to our correspondent.

The incident is likely to heighten political tensions ahead of general elections expected in late July.

Iqbal was hit by a bullet in his arm in the attack in his constituency.

He was out of danger, and the attacker was arrested immediately after the suspected assassination attempt at a public meeting.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has condemned the attack.

“The attacker was about to fire a second shot when police and people in the meeting overpowered him,” an official said.

The suspected attack on Iqbal comes as the ruling PML-N struggles to regain its footing ahead of the coming general elections after a series of blows to its top leaders.

Iqbal, who was touted as a potential prime minister when Nawaz Sharif was ousted last July, is a US-educated lawmaker from a political family long associated with the PML-N.

Considered the brains behind the party’s development agenda, he previously headed up the planning ministry.