ISLAMABAD: 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.

Suspect Abid Hussain, 21, was arrested soon after he fired at the minister when he was attending a corner meeting in his constituency. Police recovered a pistol from his possession which had nine bullets when security personnel arrested him.

During interrogation, he confessed to have targeted the interior minister over the issue of amendment in Khattam-e-Nubawwat (Finality of Prophethood) law late last year.

The suspect told police that he bought the pistol from a man belonging to his native village for Rs15000. ‘I arranged the money by selling forms of an organization,’ he confessed.

According to police, Hussain was armed when he arrived at the crime scene at around 03:00 pm, putting question mark on the security arrangements that how can an armed man was able to reach so close to the Federal Interior Minister.

-‘Security breach’-

Talking to media, Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmad Khan admitted that the attack on a senior government official is a ‘serious security breach’ and that it will not go ‘unchecked’.

Khan added that although politicians do mingle with the masses but this is a very serious matter and the provincial authorities are ‘determined to plug the hole’. 

-Affilitaion-

An initial report on the shooting by a local administrator, the deputy commissioner of Narowal district, seen by Reuters, said the gunman had been arrested and "showed his affiliation" to Tehreek-e-Labaik.

The party calls for the aggressive enforcement of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which can carry the death penalty.

However, neither the report nor other officials commented on the attacker’s possible motives.

Iqbal was shot soon after addressing voters in Kanjroor village in Narowal but the exact circumstances were not immediately clear.

"I can’t tell you the motive at this stage due to security reasons," Narowal police chief Imran Kishwar told Reuters.

JIT to investigate attack

A five-member joint investigation team was set up to launch a probe into the assassination attempt.

On representative each from IB and ISI will be part of the JIT.

 Meanwhile, police have detained the organizer of the corner meeting for his failure to inform law enforcement agencies about his plan to invite the minister. 

Police and special branch were unaware of the schedule of the corner meeting.