'Taliban assassins' fire at Pakistani PM's motorcade
Wednesday, 03 Sep 2008 19:50
Gunmen fire at Pakistani prime minister's motorcade - Yousuf Raza Gilani unhurt as not in car at time of attack
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Would-be Taliban assassins have fired at the prime minister of Pakistan's motorcade outside the capital Islamabad.
Yousuf Raza Gilani was unhurt in the attack as he was not in the car at the time.
He was instead waiting at the nearby airport to be picked up by his security detail after returning from a trip to Lahore.
Later on Wednesday the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that Mr Gilani was behind the recent offensives in the country's tribal north-west.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told the al-Jazeera news agency: "We will continue such attacks on government officials and installations."
Television pictures showed two bullet holes on the windshield of Mr Gilani's car following the attack, which took place on the main road to the airport close to the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
His spokesman had earlier said Mr Gilani was travelling in the car.
"By the grace of Allah the prime minister is safe," Zahid Bashir said.
But a security official later told the AFP news agency: "The prime minister and his staff were not in the car."
Mr Gilani, a leading figure in the Pakistan People's party (PPP), was chosen to lead Pakistan's coalition government after the general election in February this year.
Today's attack comes just days before the country votes for a new president following the resignation of Pervez Musharraf last month.
In December last year PPP leader and twice-former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated when suicide bombers opened fire on her motorcade after a rally in Rawalpindi.