‘No place for violence in politics’: President Zardari, PM Shehbaz condemn attack on Trump

Hours after former US president Donald Trump was shot in the ear on Saturday during a campaign rally, global condemnations poured in, including from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The Republic presidential candidate was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when he was shot in the ear, streaking blood across his face and prompting his security agents to swarm him, before he emerged and pumped his fist in the air, appearing to mouth the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The suspected shooter and one rally attendee were killed and two other spectators were injured, the Secret Service said in a statement.

The incident was being investigated as an assassination attempt, a source told Reuters.

President Zardari said he was “deeply shocked” to learn about the incident, stressing that “there is no place for violence in politics,” according to a statement by the President’s House.

He wished Trump a speedy recovery and regretted the loss of life.

PM Shehbaz echoed Zardari’s sentiments in a statement posted on social media platform X.

“Just learnt that former President Trump was shot at an election rally. This is a shocking development. I condemn all violence in politics. Wish the former President swift recovery and good health,” he wrote.

The shooting occurred less than four months before the November 5 election, when Trump faces an election rematch with Biden. Most opinion polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, show the two locked in a close contest.

Trump, 78, posted on social media that he had been shot in the upper part of his right ear and that there was “much bleeding.” His campaign said he was “doing well.” He was released from the hospital late on Saturday.

Incumbent US President Joe Biden has since spoken to Trump after the incident, according to a White House Official.

Biden said in a statement: “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

World leaders decry attack

Like President Zardari and PM Sharif, several world leaders condemned the shooting at Trump’s rally, expressing shock at the incident and denouncing political violence.

A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the shooting and called it an “act of political violence.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled by the shocking scenes” at the rally. “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was “concerning and confronting,” while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it left him “sickened.” Trudeau added: “Political violence is never acceptable.”

Similar comments were also made by the leaders of Thailand, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

— With additional input from Reuters.