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 currently recovering in hospital from a bullet wound, with Minister of state for interior affairs Talal Chaudhry stating that he is stable and in good spirits. Leaders from Pakistan's main opposition parties have all condemned the assassination attempt. However, a prominent official from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party suggested that Sharif's large rallies protesting his removal by the Supreme Court last July may have contributed to creating a backdrop 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, which he believes is creating tension and anger in Pakistan's political climate. Haq warned that if Sharif continues to spread negativity, more incidents like this will occur. Despite being disqualified as prime minister last July for unreported income, Sharif's party still holds a majority in parliament. Sharif has accused rival Khan of conspiring against him and has portrayed him as a puppet of the military establishment, which has a history of interfering in Pakistani politics. Khan refutes allegations of colluding with the army, while the military denies involvement in politics. The recent attack on Sunday has caused increased anxiety leading up to the upcoming election in late July. Reports indicate that the attacker may have ties to a new Islamist political party that advocates for strict sharia law and the death penalty for blasphemy. Despite initial reports linking the attacker to the Tehreek-e-Labaik party, the party's spokesman has denied any affiliation with the gunman. "We do not have weapons. We are engaged in a non-violent fight. Those plotting against Tehreek-e-Labaik will not achieve success." Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of the party, denounced the attack on Iqbal, stating that Labaik was striving peacefully to establish the Prophet's religion. According to police, Iqbal was shot in the right arm, with the bullet then entering his groin. The suspected shooter, identified as 21-year-old Abid Hussain, has not had a motive officially disclosed by authorities. Minister of state Chaudhry stated that religious radicalism is a part of his background and that police were investigating groups that could have influenced the attack. He emphasized that radicalism is not an individual problem but rather a social issue, as such individuals are influenced and prepared by others ideologically. Labaik, a movement that emerged from a protest supporting Mumtaz Qadri, who killed the governor of Punjab in 2011 over blasphemy laws, shut down the country's capital for three weeks last year. The attempt on Iqbal's life has raised concerns about potential pre-election violence by Islamists, similar to incidents during past elections including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.