Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist Ishtiaq Khan has died after spending 18 days in hospital with severe burn injuries sustained during an incident at a Milad gathering in Lahore.
According to a statement shared on social media by PTI leader Zubair Niazi, Khan was seriously injured on 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal when he allegedly fell into a pan of boiling oil during a stampede at a religious gathering in Lahore’s Rajgarh area. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Khan was subsequently shifted to Mayo Hospital, where doctors continued efforts to save his life. Despite receiving treatment for 18 days, his condition remained critical and he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Funeral prayers held in Lahore
Following his death, Khan’s funeral prayers were offered at a cemetery near GT Road, opposite the University of Engineering and Technology (UET).
A large number of PTI workers, relatives and family members attended the funeral, according to reports.
His death has renewed attention on the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly allegations made by PTI leaders regarding a police raid during the Milad gathering.
PTI alleges police raid triggered stampede
Zubair Niazi had previously claimed that a large police contingent raided his residence in Rajgarh while the Milad gathering was taking place.
According to Niazi’s account, police detained several people who were present at the gathering, including his mother, his brother and lawyer Sharjeel Khan Niazi, Punjab Assembly member Saadia Ayub, Ishtiaq Khan, Mubeen Ahmed and Khalid Awan, among others.
Niazi alleged that around 16 people were taken into custody and transferred to a police station.
He further claimed that Khan and another person fell into a container or pan containing hot oil after a stampede broke out when police allegedly entered the gathering.
Questions over treatment of injured activist
Niazi also alleged that Khan was taken into police custody despite suffering serious burn injuries.
According to his account, Khan’s mother was released shortly after being detained, while several other PTI leaders, lawyers and workers remained in police custody.
The allegations have placed the focus on what happened during the police operation and whether adequate assistance was provided to those injured in the incident.
However, the allegations concerning the police raid and the circumstances that led to Khan’s fall into the boiling oil should be treated as claims by PTI leaders unless independently confirmed by police or other official sources.
Khan’s death after an 18-day battle for survival has nevertheless added a tragic dimension to the dispute surrounding the Milad gathering and the alleged police action in Lahore.
Incident remains under scrutiny
The incident is likely to attract further attention as questions remain over the sequence of events that resulted in Khan sustaining life-threatening burns and being taken into custody.
While PTI leaders have linked the injuries to the alleged police raid and subsequent stampede, an independent and official account of the incident would be necessary to establish responsibility for what happened.
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