It is time for all political parties in Pakistan to ensure that the Benazir Bhutto's assassination in 2007 and the chaos that followed should never be allowed to be repeated, leading newspapers here commented on Friday after ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan survived a targeted attack.

Imran, 70, suffered a bullet injury in the right leg when a gun-wielding man fired a volley of bullets at him in the Punjab province, where he was leading a protest march against the government.

Pakistan avoided a grave tragedy on Thursday when Imran survived a targeted attack during his march towards Islamabad.

"The nation has narrowly avoided a grave tragedy thanks to sheer good luck and the quick thinking of one courageous bystander," the Dawn newspaper said in its editorial.

It is time for all parties to reach a consensus that the tragedy of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, and the chaos and destruction that followed, can never be allowed to be visited on this country again.

Khan appears to have been saved by mere inches: if the bullet that reportedly pierced his leg had landed even slightly higher, the consequences could very likely have been fatal. His protectors must realise the gravity of their failure, it said.

"Imran Khan is returned hurt. But he is set to resume his long march towards Islamabad, if the courage and conviction exhibited by his party-mates is any criterion. It is unfortunate that violence is taking roots in Pakistan, and the attack on the former prime minister by an unknown and insane shooter is condemnable, The Express Tribune said in its editorial.

It is time to step back from the brink. Pakistanis are in need of a political solution to the mess at hand. It is evident that no amount of arm-twisting and legal maneuvering had worked, as Khan and his PTI are seen adamant in pushing their one-point objective of seeking fresh general elections, it said.

Thus, rationality demands that both sides should take a pause, and settle down for a huddle and that too away from the glare of the media, it said.

What unfolded in Wazirabad on Thursday was nothing short of a terrifying deja vu of a gloomy winter evening in Rawalpindi 15 years ago. Then too, an opposition leader commanding the support of millions was mercilessly taken down in a well-planned-out bid to derail democracy, the Daily Times newspaper said in its editorial on Friday.

"Former prime minister and national icon Khan, was, thankfully much luckier as he resurfaced with an injury on his leg after a 'clear assassination bid', it said.

Pakistan suffers from a chequered past when it comes to political violence. Be it the shooting of the country's first prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's hanging or his daughter's precarious murder. Therefore, the onus to speed up a comprehensive investigation and bring it before the public eye lies on the shoulders of the administration, it said.

"A country that has buried assassinated political leaders far too often once again saw politics descend into violence on Thursday," The News newspaper said in its editorial

Over the past few years in particular, we have been seeing Pakistan spiral into a chaos that has reached every part of society, a chaos that has violence at its heart. If the apprehended man's confession is to be taken at face value, he has cited religious reasons for attacking Khan, pointing to a growing concern over radicalisation of our society, it said.

What Pakistan needs right now is healing. The country has already suffered enough and cannot afford any more bloodshed. Imran Khan is a very popular leader of a very popular political party. It is disturbing to think just how close this incident came to something utterly tragic, the report said.

Khan, who was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, has talked about a 'threat letter' from the US and claimed that it was part of a foreign conspiracy to remove him as he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy. The US has bluntly rejected the allegations.

He has been demanding early elections and he is leading the long march towards Islamabad to force his demands. The term of the National Assembly will end in August 2023 and fresh elections should be held within 60 days.