According to party officials and journalists, a female journalist was crushed to death by a vehicle carrying former Prime Minister Imran Khan in an accident in eastern Pakistan on Sunday as he led a convoy of his supporters towards the capital.
The incident prompted Khan to halt the “long march” that he is leading towards Islamabad to pressure the federal government into calling snap elections. His convoy started from the eastern city of Lahore, and is expected to reach Islamabad on Friday.
“Shocked & deeply saddened by the terrible accident that led to the death of Channel 5 reporter Sadaf Naeem during our March today,” Khan said on Twitter.
Khan said Sunday’s activities planned by his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had been cancelled.
Journalist Qazzafi Butt, who witnessed the incident said, Naeem lost her balance while attempting to climb onto Khan’s truck to get a sound bite from the former Prime Minister.
He claimed that the truck’s wheel ran over her head as she fell on the road. PTI leader Mussarat Jamshed Cheema confirmed that Khan’s vehicle ran over Naeem.
The incident occurred near Gujranwala, which is 220 kilometers (136 miles) from Islamabad. Imran Khan intends to hold political rallies in cities along the route to Islamabad in order to gain support.
