Internal differences in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf parliamentary party have intensified in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 28 disgruntled members of the party have openly expressed reservations about the provincial government and party policies.
A four-hour consultative meeting of disgruntled members of the provincial assembly was held in Peshawar today. According to sources, at the end of this important meeting, the disgruntled members flatly refused to meet the six-member committee formed under the chairmanship of Asad Qaiser to address the reservations at the provincial level and made it clear that they would discuss their issues only with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
After this decision, a detailed and formal letter has also been sent to Barrister Gohar by the disgruntled members, raising serious questions about the current policies of the provincial government and the party. The letter written by the members of the assembly to Chairman Barrister Gohar raised important points and concerns regarding party affairs, the movement for Imran Khan’s release, and the governance style of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
The members expressed serious concern that some media and social media platforms were giving them a wrong impression by attributing them to different groups or personalities. They clarified that all twenty-eight members of the assembly are not working on the agenda of any group or faction but are solely bound by the vision and party manifesto of the founding chairman, Imran Khan.
The members expressed deep concern over the continued imprisonment of the founding chairman and the restrictions imposed on him, saying that the protest activities so far have failed to achieve the desired results, which is spreading disillusionment among the workers.
The letter takes the position that the impression is being created among the workers that the movement for release has deviated from its basic direction and has become limited to health and medical treatment issues, and if this is not remedied in time, the party may suffer great political loss. They demanded that a comprehensive, systematic, and fruitful strategy be formulated instead of formal statements and symbolic protests.
The letter also emphasized that there is no systematic plan for the legal support of Imran Khan, as well as hundreds of other party leaders and workers in jails, and for the welfare of their families; therefore, a coordinated and active legal team should be formed to pursue the cases in the courts.
Directly criticizing the provincial government, the letter says that despite the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Imran Khan’s vision and good governance are not being implemented. The members made serious allegations that the interference of irrelevant persons in provincial government matters has increased, merit is being deviated from, and resources are being unfairly distributed. In addition, no consultation is being done with the elected members of the provincial assembly on the development funds, and decisions of the constituencies and their powers are being bypassed.
At the end of the letter, the angry members of the assembly have strongly demanded that the party leadership ensure consultation of the elected representatives in the government, eliminate irrelevant elements, and to immediately formulate a workable and decisive strategy to deal with political challenges, including the release of Imran Khan.
Read also: PTI rift deepens, CM Afridi faces mounting pressure in KP
