Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was wounded on Sunday in an apparent assassination attempt by a gunman linked to a new ultra-religious Muslim party – an incident likely to raise tensions before an election expected in late July. The party calls for the aggressive enforcement of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which can carry the death penalty. “I can’t tell you the motive at this stage due to security reasons,” Narowal police chief Imran Kishwar told Reuters. “The minister luckily survived,” said junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi condemned the attack on Iqbal and called for an immediate police report.

Source: Egypt Independent May 07, 2018 09:32 UTC