Sikander taken off ventilator, not ready to record statement

ISLAMABAD: Doctors at the PIMs hospital have announced that the condition of Sikander the man who held the capital hostage for several hours on Thursday is improving.

“We have removed Sikander from the ventilator and he has been breathing on his own for three hours,” Dr Wasim told reporters outside the PIMs hospital.

Dr Wasim added that Sikander was trying to speak but was facing difficulties and he was not capable of recording his statement yet. “We will speak to Sikander when he regains complete consciousness.”

According to Dr Wasim, Sikander’s wife had already recorded her statement.

Earlier, Dr Rizwan Taj said that Sikander had revealed his addiction to several substances including drugs and alcohol.

Dr Taj further said that Sikander was a mental patient and abusive towards his family.

On Thursday, Sikander brought the federal capital to a standstill as he waved semi-automatic guns and occasionally fired shots into the air in the Blue area. He was accompanied by his wife and children throughout the tense drama.

Hours of stalemate came to a chaotic end when Zamurud Khan, a senior member of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party sent to negotiate, made a sudden lunge at the gunman.

Khan slipped and missed his man, but police opened fire, seriously wounding Sikandar in the chest and leg before arresting him.