Former Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is said to be in stable condition after being shot at a political rally, on Thursday.

Khan has been leading a march since Friday from the city of Lahore towards the capital, Islamabad, campaigning for fresh elections after being ousted from office in April.

Khan was wounded when shots were fired from the crowd near Gujranwala, his senior aide, Raoof Hasan said.

“This was an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him,” Hassan said, adding that one alleged attacker had been shot dead and a second taken into police custody.

In a tweet, Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi also called it “a heinous assassination attempt. I thank Allah that he is safe but injured with a few bullets in his leg & hopefully non-critical,” he tweeted.

Pakistan has been grappling with Islamist militants for decades, and politicians are frequently targeted by assassination attempts.

In 2007 the nation’s first female leader Benazir Bhutto was slain in a suicide attack which remained unsolved.

Khan had repeatedly told supporters he was prepared to die for the country, and his aides have long warned of unspecified threats made on his life.