ISLAMABAD, April 17: Serious differences between old and new members of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf have served to hamper the progress of the party at the national level.

Imran Khan is said to have admitted to his aides that he has been forced to devote most of his time and energy in closing fissures in the party rather than in dealing with his political rivals who seem to be uniting against the PTI.

Informed sources said a major source of tension was Shah Mehmood Qureshi who was said to be asserting himself too much and “testing the patience of the party chairman”.

Mr Qureshi is reported to have notified dissolution of old regional steering committees and appointed his favourites to the committees. The move was immediately criticised by old members of the party, the sources said.

To end the intra-party differences, Mr Khan met top party leaders on Monday.

Party President Javed Hashmi, Senior Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Secretary General Dr Arif Alvi, additional secretary general Saifullah Khan Niazi, PTI Punjab President Ahsan Rashid and S.K. Babar attended the meeting in Islamabad.

Senior party workers told Dawn that the meeting discussed the proposed nomination of steering committees for Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa by Mr Qureshi in the light of reservations expressed by other senior party leaders.

An old guard of the PTI told Dawn that there was a tussle between old and new leaders over intra-party elections which Imran Khan had recently announced to hold within two months after completion of the party membership drive.

“There is neither any word for the timeline for elections nor any arrangements for holding intra-party elections for all tiers,” the source said.

While Mr Qureshi favours injecting new blood into steering committees meaning more new members, Mr Javed Hashmi supports old members of the party.