A deep internal rift has emerged within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a group of lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as “lack of efforts” by the party leadership to secure the release of jailed founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.Disgruntled members of the provincial council, many of whom were reported to have been deprived of their positions during the recent cabinet expansion, held an emergency meeting in Peshawar before sending a message to Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Gohar Ali Khan, Dawn reported, citing Dawn.The meeting witnessed discussions on the continued imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, concerns about party workers, governance issues and the effectiveness of the ongoing campaign for his release.The handling of efforts related to Khan’s release and health is causing “concern among workers, supporters, and patriotic citizens,” the lawmakers said in the letter. They said that the campaign for his release had lost momentum and had become ineffective.“Workers feel that the release movement has deviated from its basic direction and has become limited to health and therapeutic matters only. The ongoing movement for the leader’s release appears to be largely limited to official statements, restricted protest activities and symbolic measures.
The letter said that a new strategy should be formulated to make the movement effective, organized and results-oriented.Lawmakers warned that failure to address these concerns could have serious political consequences for the party.They also raised concerns about governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alleging “interference by uninvolved individuals in the affairs of the provincial government, meritocracy, unfair distribution of resources, and lack of proper consultation with relevant marine protected areas in decisions regarding their constituency’s powers and development resources.”The letter called for greater transparency, merit and consultation in government affairs, while demanding a “positive, comprehensive, effective and results-oriented strategy” for Khan’s release.One of the representatives told the newspaper “Dawn” that about 20 legislators remained dissatisfied after being deprived of ministerial positions. The report also said that the group boycotted a parliamentary meeting held by Prime Minister Sohail Afridi and instead traveled to Rawalpindi to hold demonstrations outside Adiala Jail. Copies of the letter were also sent to the party’s Central Secretary General and the Central Information Secretary.