LAHORE:
The PTI is dealing with internal divisions on the timeline and the strategy for a national protest aimed at ensuring the release of its imprisoned founder, former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Discord, mainly between the central leadership of the party and its Punjab chapter, has intensified as the proposed date of August 5 for the maximum protest approaches, which mark two years since Khan’s imprisonment.
The central leadership, including President Barríster Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s prime minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, has advocated a 90-day campaign that culminates in a decisive protest, emphasizing a strategic accumulation to maximize the impact.
Gandapur, speaking at a press conference in Lahore on July 13, described the movement as an effort to “do or die” to challenge what PTI calls a “fascist regime” and to ensure the launch of Khan. He stressed that the campaign would imply mobilizing supporters in each district and Tehsil, reaching its maximum point before August 5, after which a new phase would be announced.
In contrast, the chief organizer of PTI Punjab, Aliya Hamza Malik, has firmly supported an immediate protest on August 5, aligning with a call attributed to Imran Khan through her sister, Aleema Khan. According to reports, Malik has threatened to resign if the party deviates from this date, highlighting the lack of coordination with central leadership.
The sources indicate that Malik has already addressed the Punjab organization of the party that is preparing for the protest of August 5, mobilizing workers in districts such as Okara, Toba Tek Singh, Pakpattan, Faisalabad and Chinint.
The crack became public when Malik, excluded from a key strategy meeting in Lahore, expressed his frustration in X. In a series of publications, he questioned the origins of the “90 -day plan” and sought clarity about the objectives of the movement, stating: “The approach and objective is only the release of Imran Khan.”
His absence of the meeting, which included Gandapur, the secretary general of PTI Salman Akram Raja and the opposition leader of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmad Bhachaha, was fired by slit as “due to his other commitments”, a statement of Malik sarcastically refuted, pointing out that he was not savoring his supposed business.
However, Aleema Khan, speaking with the media, welcomed Lahore’s meeting as a sign of unity among PTI parliamentarians, but expressed his ignorance about Malik’s exclusion, stating: “They told us that this was a meeting of parliamentarians.”
She reaffirmed Imran Khan’s call to protests to reach August 5, noting that her whole family would participate, including her children based in the United Kingdom.
The lawyer Gohar has tried to quell discord, urging leaders to address concerns through the internal channels of the party instead of in public forums. “If any leader has a complaint, they should inform me directly,” he said. However, this public dispute has raised concerns about cohesion between PTI ranges at a critical situation, and some analysts suggest that it reflects deeper issues of centralization and confidence within the party.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government, led by Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz, has indicated a firm position against possible disturbances.
Punjab Minister of Information, Azma Bukhari, recognized the right to peaceful protest, but accused the PTI of having a history of violence, a reference to May 9, 2023, incidents. “No political party can attack with weapons,” Bukhari said.
