A deep internal rift has emerged within the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as a group of provincial lawmakers voiced dissatisfaction over what they termed a 'lack of effort' by the party leadership to secure the release of jailed founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The disgruntled members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs), many of whom were reportedly denied positions during a recent cabinet expansion, held an emergency meeting in Peshawar. Following the meeting, they sent a letter to PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan, according to a report by news agency PTI citing Dawn newspaper.
During the meeting, discussions focused on Imran Khan's continued imprisonment, concerns over party workers, governance issues, and the effectiveness of the ongoing campaign for his release. In the letter, the lawmakers stated that the handling of efforts related to Khan's release and health was causing “anxiety among workers, supporters and patriotic citizens.” They argued that the campaign for his release had lost momentum and become ineffective.
“Workers feel the release movement has deviated from its core direction and become limited merely to health and treatment matters. The ongoing movement for the leader's release appears largely limited to formal statements, restricted protest activities and symbolic measures. A new strategy should be formulated to make the movement effective, organised and result-oriented,” the letter read.
The lawmakers warned that failure to address these concerns could have serious political consequences for the party. They also raised issues about governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alleging “interference by irrelevant individuals in the provincial government's affairs, deviation from merit, unfair distribution of resources and lack of proper consultation with relevant MPAs in decisions about their constituencies' powers and development resources.”
The letter called for greater transparency, merit, and consultation in government affairs, while demanding a “positive, comprehensive, effective and result-oriented strategy” for Khan's release. A lawmaker told Dawn that around 20 legislators remained unhappy after being denied cabinet positions. The report also said the group boycotted a parliamentary meeting convened by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and instead traveled to Rawalpindi to stage demonstrations outside Adiala Jail. Copies of the letter were also sent to the party's central secretary general and central information secretary.
