Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has made his first public appearance since being wounded in a gun attack this month.
Tens of thousands of supporters attended the rally where he said he would fight with his “last drop of blood” but also said he would not call on them to march on the capital, Islamabad.
“They [government] cannot deal with a march in Islamabad,” Mr Khan said in Rawalpindi, near the capital. "They can call as many police as they want, but they cannot stop the hundreds of thousands from entering Islamabad.
“We could have created a situation like Sri Lanka. I have decided against marching on Islamabad because I don’t want there to be anarchy in the country. I don’t want to cause any harm to this country.”
Security was tight for the rally, which was Mr Khan’s first appearance since he was shot in the foot in what he alleges was a botched assassination attempt by senior government officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Mr Khan has staged protests nationwide pushing for early elections since being ousted from power in April.
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Imran Khan, former prime minister and head of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party, speaks to journalists at Shaukat Khanum hospital where he was admitted after being shot, near Wazirabad, in Lahore. EPA -
Mr Khan said two gunmen had tried to assassinate him in Wazirabad. AFP -
Police use teargas to disperse supporters of Mr Khan during a protest in Rawalpindi. Reuters -
Officers clash with supporters of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf in Islamabad. EPA -
Supporters of Mr Khan have vowed the assassination attempt will not derail his 'long march' bid to return to power. AFP -
PTI supporters gather for a protest in Karachi. AFP -
Blockading a motorway during a PTI protest in Peshawar. AP -
More protesters, in Wazirabad. Reuters -
A supporter of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, places flowers outside the hospital in Lahore where Mr Khan is recovering after an assassination attempt that left him with a gunshot wound to the leg. AFP -
Imran Khan supporters protest at the cordoned-off site of the assassination attempt in Wazirabad. AFP -
A bouquet at the hospital where Imran Khan is said to be in a stable condition after undergoing surgery, according to a senior member of his party. AP Photo -
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was wounded in a shooting incident in Wazirabad. A gunman opened fire on a campaign vehicle carrying Mr Khan, wounding him slightly and also some of his supporters, a senior leader from his party and police said. AP -
A supporter of Mr Khan places flowers outside the hospital where he is being treated, in Lahore. AFP -
Khan's supporters take part in a protest against the assassination attempt, in Peshawar. AFP -
Investigators examine the rooftop of a container truck used by the former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan during his political rallies, hours after a gun attack in Wazirabad. AFP -
A police officer walks past a lorry near the scene where Mr Khan was shot, in Wazirabad. Reuters -
A Khan supporter in Karachi gestures during a protest following the shooting incident. Mr Khan was shot in the leg and has been admitted to hospital. Reuters -
Khan supporters shout slogans during a protest in Karachi after the former prime minister was shot. EPA -
Khan supporters in Karachi react following the shooting incident in Wazirabad. Reuters -
Supporters of the former prime minister take part in a protest in Peshawar against the shooting. AFP -
Khan supporters shout slogans during a protest in Karachi. EPA -
A boy in Islamabad watches television showing news of the shooting. AFP -
Policemen stand guard outside the Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore where Mr Khan was admitted following the shooting. AFP -
Mr Khan is helped after the shooting. Reuters -
Faisal Javed, a senator and close aid of Mr Khan, was also injured during the incident. AP -
Policemen stand guard outside the hospital where Mr Khan was admitted. EPA
Saturday’s rally was part of the “long march” protest by Mr Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was to have culminated in a march to Islamabad next week.
“I have seen death from up close,” said Mr Khan, who hobbled to the stage with a walking frame and spoke to supporters from a plush seat behind bulletproof glass.
“I'm more worried about the freedom of Pakistan than my life,” he told the crowd. “I will fight for this country until my last drop of blood.”
He said the PTI party would leave all regional and national assemblies and get out of "this corrupt system.”
His party resigned from the national assembly en masse in April, but most of the resignations have yet to be accepted.
Saghir Ahmed, a 32-year-old tailor, said Pakistan's dire economic situation — rampant inflation and a diving currency — had made life “unbearable”.
“We hope Mr Khan will introduce some reforms and the situation will improve,” he said.
Mr Khan attracts devotion from supporters, but on Saturday made his speech separated from them by coils of barbed wire and a buffer of police officers.
A police official told local television channel Geo TV that there were 10,000 personnel deployed for the event, with snipers positioned at various points for his security.
