A senior member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and ally of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, was shot by a gunman on Sunday while leaving a constituency meeting in Punjab province. Iqbal is recovering in hospital from the bullet wound, with minister of state for interior affairs Talal Chaudhry stating that he is stable and in good spirits. Leaders from various opposition parties in Pakistan have condemned the assassination attempt, although a prominent official from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party suggested that Sharif's large rallies protesting his removal by the Supreme Court last July may have created the conditions for the attack. Naeem ul Haq, chief of staff for former cricket star Khan, strongly criticized Nawaz Sharif for making wild accusations against his opponents and creating tension and anger in the political climate. He warned that if Sharif continues to spread negativity, similar incidents will continue to happen. Pakistan's Supreme Court disqualified Sharif as prime minister last July due to unreported income, and he is currently on trial for corruption. Sharif has accused rival Khan of conspiring against him and has rallied his supporters against him, portraying Khan as a puppet of the military establishment. Khan refutes allegations of collusion with the army, while the military denies involvement in politics. The recent attack on Sunday has increased tensions as the election approaches, expected to take place in late July. Reports indicate that the attacker may have ties to a new Islamist party that advocates for strict sharia law and the death penalty for blasphemy. The party, Tehreek-e-Labaik, denies any connection to the attacker, according to a local administrator's initial report. "We are not carrying weapons. Our fight is without weapons. Those plotting against Tehreek-e-Labaik will not achieve their goals." Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of the party, denounced the attack on Iqbal, stating that Labaik is engaged in a non-violent struggle to establish the religion of the Prophet. According to the police, Iqbal was shot in the right arm with the bullet entering his groin. The suspected shooter, identified as 21-year-old Abid Hussain, has not had a motive officially disclosed. Minister of state Chaudhry stated that religious radicalism is a part of the suspect's background, and that other individuals have been arrested and are being investigated for potential involvement in the attack. He emphasized that radicalism is not solely an individual problem, but rather a societal issue that can be influenced by others. Labaik, the group responsible for the protest movement supporting Mumtaz Qadri, emerged from a demonstration in response to Qadri's assassination of the governor of Punjab in 2011. The movement's protests caused the capital to shut down for three weeks last year in opposition to changes in electoral laws. The recent attack on Iqbal has raised concerns about a resurgence of pre-election violence by Islamist groups, similar to the violence that occurred during the past two elections, including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.