Imran Khan's supporters form 'bat force' to protect PTI leader from shoe throwers

Lahore: Supporters of Imran Khan have formed a ‘bat force’ to protect the Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician from shoe throwers, warning that anyone attempting to harm their leader would be thrashed with cricket bats. [caption id=“attachment_2660426” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image PTI chief
of Imran Khan. Getty Images[/caption] A shoe was hurled at 65-year-old Khan, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that missed its target and instead landed on party leader Aleem Khan’s chest, during a public rally in Gujrat city in Punjab province on 13 March. Concerned over the shoe incident, PTI party workers have formed a ‘bat force’ that will thrash the shoe throwers with cricket bats, Express News reported on Wednesday. During Khan’s visit to Gujranwala, PTI workers and members came up with several strategies counter the threat in case there is another shoe attack, the report said. The PTI workers and supporters in Gujranwala have announced that they will protect Khan with bats in hand. The PTI youth will guard Khan and stay close to him during the visit. “Imran Khan is our guest, nothing will even remotely harm him,” the report quoted a party worker as saying. Khan, who led Pakistan to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup, is on a visit to Gujranwala where he will be visiting nine party camps and address the workers ahead of the general elections in July. The Gujrat incident was the second such attempt to attack Khan as a man was beaten up and handed over to police for allegedly trying to throw a shoe at the PTI chief at a rally he addressed in Faisalabad just two days before. PTI Central Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry has alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was “responsible for all these incidents as the ruling party is instigating its workers to commit such crimes”.