Pakistani officials say a gunman has opened fire on the country's interior minister after a public meeting, wounding him in shoulder.
Talal Chaudhry, the Minister of State for Interior Affairs, says Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was returning to his car after a meeting in Narowal district Sunday when he came under attack.
"The minister luckily survived. Thank God he is out of danger," Chaudhry said.
Senior police officer Imran Kishwar said the attacker was immediately arrested, and that the interior minister was out of danger. He said the 22-year-old gunman fired at the minister at close range. His motivation was not immediately known.
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 PML-N.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi "strongly condemned" the attack on Iqbal and called for an immediate report into the incident by the chief of police in the vast Punjab province.
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.
