<p>In an impoverished Pakistan suburb, neighbours of a mild-mannered scrap trader expressed shock Friday that he was being held over an attempt on the life of former prime minister Imran Khan.</p>.<p>"We used to exchange pleasantries whenever we crossed paths in the street," 34-year-old Shamshad Ali told <em>AFP</em>. "I found him to be a soft-spoken person, without an iota of anger."</p>.<p>Naveed Ahmad is the sole suspect in custody after Khan was wounded by a spray of gunfire at a political rally in the eastern city of Wazirabad on Thursday.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/attack-on-imran-khan-pakistan-police-arrest-two-more-suspects-1159390.html" target="_blank">Attack on Imran Khan: Pakistan police arrest two more suspects</a></strong></p>.<p>An apparent confession video leaked by police -- and cited by the government -- shows Ahmad saying he attacked Khan because his protest interrupted the call to prayer which summons Muslims to mosques five times daily.</p>.<p>The government's interior minister Rana Sanaullah said the attack was motivated on religious grounds.</p>.<p>Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party however, has condemned what it called a "conspiracy", accusing government ministers and military generals of masterminding the attack.</p>.<p>In the town of Sodhra -- on the outskirts of Wazirabad -- <em>AFP</em> found Ahmad's family home padlocked shut, down a dingy narrow alley lined by an open sewer.</p>.<p>Neighbours said his mother, wife and two sons were picked up by police shortly after the attack in which Khan suffered non-life-threatening leg injuries, halting his march towards the capital Islamabad.</p>.<p>Police have not yet commented on the incident, but Punjab government officials confirmed the suspect's name.</p>.<p>Muhammad Munir, who makes the call to prayer at the local mosque, watched Ahmad come to worship there "quite often" but considered him "the kind of a person who minds his own business".</p>.<p>"I never heard anything negative about him," the 55-year-old said. "I never saw him fighting or exchanging harsh words with anyone."</p>.<p>Hardline religious parties hold influence over swathes of Pakistan, but Ahmad's fellow worshippers said he expressed no militant sentiments.</p>.<p>"Naveed was a simple boy and had no leanings towards any religious parties," said 26-year-old Abrar Ahmad, no relation of the alleged attacker.</p>.<p>Numerous neighbours said Ahmad inherited a junk store from his deceased father and had worked in Saudi Arabia, a common destination for impoverished Pakistanis who send remittance payments to their families back home.</p>.<p>"I am surprised at how Naveed, who belongs to a poor family, dared to make such an attempt," said local grocer 36-year-old Muhammad Saleem.</p>
<p>In an impoverished Pakistan suburb, neighbours of a mild-mannered scrap trader expressed shock Friday that he was being held over an attempt on the life of former prime minister Imran Khan.</p>.<p>"We used to exchange pleasantries whenever we crossed paths in the street," 34-year-old Shamshad Ali told <em>AFP</em>. "I found him to be a soft-spoken person, without an iota of anger."</p>.<p>Naveed Ahmad is the sole suspect in custody after Khan was wounded by a spray of gunfire at a political rally in the eastern city of Wazirabad on Thursday.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/attack-on-imran-khan-pakistan-police-arrest-two-more-suspects-1159390.html" target="_blank">Attack on Imran Khan: Pakistan police arrest two more suspects</a></strong></p>.<p>An apparent confession video leaked by police -- and cited by the government -- shows Ahmad saying he attacked Khan because his protest interrupted the call to prayer which summons Muslims to mosques five times daily.</p>.<p>The government's interior minister Rana Sanaullah said the attack was motivated on religious grounds.</p>.<p>Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party however, has condemned what it called a "conspiracy", accusing government ministers and military generals of masterminding the attack.</p>.<p>In the town of Sodhra -- on the outskirts of Wazirabad -- <em>AFP</em> found Ahmad's family home padlocked shut, down a dingy narrow alley lined by an open sewer.</p>.<p>Neighbours said his mother, wife and two sons were picked up by police shortly after the attack in which Khan suffered non-life-threatening leg injuries, halting his march towards the capital Islamabad.</p>.<p>Police have not yet commented on the incident, but Punjab government officials confirmed the suspect's name.</p>.<p>Muhammad Munir, who makes the call to prayer at the local mosque, watched Ahmad come to worship there "quite often" but considered him "the kind of a person who minds his own business".</p>.<p>"I never heard anything negative about him," the 55-year-old said. "I never saw him fighting or exchanging harsh words with anyone."</p>.<p>Hardline religious parties hold influence over swathes of Pakistan, but Ahmad's fellow worshippers said he expressed no militant sentiments.</p>.<p>"Naveed was a simple boy and had no leanings towards any religious parties," said 26-year-old Abrar Ahmad, no relation of the alleged attacker.</p>.<p>Numerous neighbours said Ahmad inherited a junk store from his deceased father and had worked in Saudi Arabia, a common destination for impoverished Pakistanis who send remittance payments to their families back home.</p>.<p>"I am surprised at how Naveed, who belongs to a poor family, dared to make such an attempt," said local grocer 36-year-old Muhammad Saleem.</p>