“I gave 17 years of my life to the country; I did what I could, now it is up to the people to take responsibility of their future. You have to fight your war, your children’s war on May 11,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan told an awaiting nation from his hospital bed at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, where he was admitted after a tragic fall at a rally venue in Lahore on Tuesday.
“You have to decide for a new Pakistan that has equality, rule of law and justice,” Khan said, sending millions across the country and its social media into a high-spirited frenzy.
“God says in Holy Quran that He does not change the state of a nation who does not change its own state of affairs. Come May 11, keep a party’s ideology in mind while voting. Make all efforts to change your destiny,” he said.
Earlier, PTI Chairman Imran Khan made millions of fans skip a heartbeat when a horrifying accident made him fall several feet to the ground at a public rally in Lahore’s Ghalib Market area.
Imran Khan was stable and in high spirits despite the accident, doctors at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital told reporters after conducting several critical medical tests on the PTI chairman that lasted a couple of hours.
Doctors said Khan was recognising everyone with ease and had received a minor fracture on his head, and though two of his vertebrae had been affected in the fall, they were exerting no serious pressure on his spinal cord. The PTI chairman would, however, have to wear a brace as he has been advised complete bed-rest for three weeks. He was kept in the hospital overnight for want of evaluation and monitoring.
According to the video footage, Khan was being escorted up the stage through a makeshift elevator using a fork lifter when the accident occurred.
Khan was surrounded by his guards, one of who lost balance and triggered the collapse. The fall was made worse as the guards had tightly gripped Khan’s right arm, leaving him with only one free arm to react to the situation.
Alarm bells went ringing across the venue, while the news spread like jungle fire across the country and globe, leaving PTI followers as well as the rest of countrymen gripped in tension.
Khan was first rushed to Fazl Cardiac Hospital in Gulberg and then eventually taken to Shaukat Khanum Hospital, which Khan himself built with tireless efforts almost two decades ago.
Almost all political leaders sent in messages of sympathy and wished Khan well. The PTI chief’s main political rival, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif announced in a political gathering in Rawalpindi that he was calling off all political activities scheduled for Wednesday (today) over the incident.
“The entire gathering should pray for Imran’s early recovery,” Nawaz appealed.
Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Najam Sethi rushed to the hospital and had a meeting with the ailing leader. Talking to reporters later, Sethi said Khan was in good health, although he might not be able to continue with his campaign. “We had a good chat and Khan was smiling. There is just a hairline fracture while the rest is fine,” Sethi said.
Former Punjab chief minister and PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif also visited Khan at the hospital and enquired after his health. Other PML-N leaders including Maryam Nawaz Sharif also conveyed their concern to PTI leadership over the telephone.
Khan’s PTI and Sharif’s PML-N have been criticising each other bitterly in their respective public rallies but this show of empathy from both sides shows that Pakistan’s politicians have matured over the years.
President Asif Zardari, Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and Interior Minister Malik Habib were among several other political leaders and officials who expressed concern over Khan’s accident. They wished Khan an early recovery, calling him an “asset of the country”. President Zardari also sent flowers to the PTI chairman as a goodwill gesture.
Hundreds of PTI supporters had gathered outside Shaukat Khanum Hospital praying for Khan’s early recovery.
According to information, guards Riaz, Shafiq and Ayub were also in the hospital and were being treated for their injuries. They were earlier questioned by the police regarding the incident.