ISLAMABAD : Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was hit by a bullet at a political rally on Sunday in an assassination bid at a village near his hometown of Narowal. He was hit on his arm by a lone bullet when he was coming out of the political meeting.

He was hit on his arm by a lone bullet when he was coming out of the political meeting.”As he got out of a car, a young man shot him.  Police said attacker, identified as 21-year-old-Abid, has been arrested. Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan said Mr. Iqbal was out of danger.
Mr. Iqbal looks after China Pakistan Economic Corridor and is a close aide of ruling party leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Iqbal, a senior member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and a staunch ally of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, is one of the most senior figures in government and the party..
Junior Interior Minister minister Talal Chaudhry said Iqbal was hit by a bullet in his arm in the attack in Narowal district, his constituency in central Punjab province.”The minister luckily survived. Thank God he is out of danger,” Chaaudhry said.

According to officials , an incident likely to heighten political tensions ahead of general elections expected in late July.
The attacker was arrested immediately after the shooting, officials said.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has “strongly condemned” the attack on Mr. Ahsan Iqbal and has called for an immediate report on the incident from the Inspector General of Punjab Police, according to a statement from his office.

A senior government source said early information suggested Iqbal was returning from a meeting with a Christian group, though in his constituency there are other minority groups.”We are not sure whether it has got anything to do with the motive. We will know only after investigation of the attacker,” said the government official.
Militant attacks in Pakistan have fallen sharply over the past few years, but Islamist militants continue to pose a threat and carry out assassinations.In the past politically motivated attacks have also been a feature of political life in Pakistan. (With Agency Inputs ).