Pakistan Prime Minister Unharmed After Attack
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Islamabad, Pakistan — Prime Minister Gilani of Pakistan was unhurt after gunmen attacked his motorcade in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
“Of the multiple sniper shots fired on the prime minister’s vehicle, two hit the window on the driver’s side,” a statement released by the government in Islamabad said. “The prime minister and all members of his motorcade remained unharmed.”
The attack underscores the need for the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government to tackle rising terrorism, which killed 2,000 people last year, including Prime Minister Bhutto, the leader of Mr. Gilani’s party, in a Rawalpindi suicide bombing December 27. The government has been paralyzed by disputes between coalition members since elections in February.
The gunfire took place when Mr. Gilani’s motorcade was traveling on the Islamabad Highway from the airport to Prime Minister’s House, Geo TV said. Mr. Gilani wasn’t in the car when the attack took place, Dawn News TV reported.
An investigative team will present a report on the attack, within 12 hours, Interior Adviser Rehman Malik told reporters in Karachi. Rawalpindi is 3.7 miles from the capital, Islamabad.
