• Rank & file ‘frustrated’ with decisions coming from top echelons, feel they have ‘abandoned Imran’
• Disgruntled insiders say senior figures ‘compromised’ because of threats to families, businesses

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) finds itself mired in an existential crisis, as infighting among senior figures has left the party virtually ‘leader-less’, and factionalism is starting to take root.

Although party spokespersons would have us believe that all is well and that minor disagreements are part and parcel of the political process, the reality is that the party’s rank and file are incensed with their leaders — and for good reason.

Their actions over the past couple of weeks have made it seem as if, at least in the eyes of diehard workers and activists, the leadership cadres have “abandoned Imran Khan” and strayed from the path of protest he had ordained.

A clear example of this was the gulf between Barrister Gohar Ali Khan’s stance on Tuesday’s “promised” medical examination of Mr Khan; party loyalists insisted that the government had reneged on its commitment by barring the founder’s personal physician from entering Adiala jail.

Barrister Gohar, however, made it seem like an examination by doctors from Pims had been the plan all along. Perhaps in response to a rare missive from Jemima Goldsmith — who expressed alarm that her ex-husband had not been allowed to speak to his sons, as per court orders — the PTI chairman proclaimed that “all was well”.

A majority of party workers seem most miffed by the pattern of protests being called and then cancelled by their leadership. This is compounded by the fact that various factions — led by individual power-mongers — have cropped up within the party in the absence of a central leadership and are constantly at odds with one another.

For example, when Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur led a caravan of protesters to Islamabad despite the odds, the party’s KP chapter could be seen criticising their colleagues in Punjab for not showing the same spirit.

Similarly, in the wake of the government’s initial refusal to allow meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala jail, it was the Punjab cadres who took the lead in announcing a protest for Oct 15 — to coincide with the all-important SCO summit.

Many in Punjab feel that it was this threat that forced the government to soften its tone and should have been used by the leadership to fulfil whatever demands they had. However, on Tuesday, the party seemingly backed down, failing to secure meetings with doctors and family members as originally demanded.

Although social media is rife with speculation of rifts, arguments and bad blood between various party leaders from across the country — including a recent alleged spat involving the party’s Punjab leader Hammad Azhar and Mr Gandapur — some party leaders attribute this to government actions, rather than their own shortcomings.

Acknowledging that there were groupings within the party, PTI Punjab Information Secretary Shaukat Basra said this was not unusual for a big party like the PTI.

“There are several problems in taking consensus decisions because our leader Imran Khan is in custody and communication with him has purposely been severed,” he said.

Stating that every leader had his or her own mindset, Mr Basra said the PML-N government had played bluff with the PTI and only allowed government doctors to examine Mr Khan, despite promising that his personal physician and sister would be given access to the incarcerated party founder on Oct 15.

PTI Lahore Information Secretary Shayan Bashir also admitted they had reports that a large number of workers and youth organisations were not satisfied with the party’s decision to have Mr Khan medically examined by doctors from Pims.

Two of Mr Khan’s sisters, Uzma and Aleema, are already in prison. Therefore, it would have been Noreen Niazi — Mr Khan’s reclusive third sibling — who people thought should meet him in prison to verify his well-being.

Ms Niazi has so far stayed out of the political arena, but has been compelled to step into the limelight as she is the only member of the PTI founder’s family who is not currently in prison. Her son, Hassaan Niazi, is also in the military custody over May 9 riot cases, and she was the last person who met him in Adiala Jail earlier this month.

Although it was portrayed as if Hammad Azhar had given an aggressive call to all party ticket-holders and office-bearers to reach Islamabad on Oct 15, background conversations with party workers indicated that his hand had been forced when the rank and file, including PTI’s youth and student wings, were ready to march on Islamabad on the call of Ms Niazi.

Thereafter, when the protest was called off, reports began to circulate of a showdown between Mr Azhar and KP CM Gandapur. Certain insiders privy to developments confirmed that hot words were exchanged between the two: Mr Azhar reportedly chided the KP chief minister for his disappearance, leaving protesting party workers in Islamabad virtually rudderless. In response, Mr Gandapur is said to have responded that Mr Azhar had conspicuously “vanished” from the political struggle.

Several party workers were also upset when Hammad Azhar cancelled scheduled protests in cities across Punjab after a police crackdown in Multan and Sahiwal. Over 200 workers, including parliamentarians, were arrested and booked under different sections.

An agitated party leader, requesting anonymity, said the leaders sitting on the party’s political committee — which is currently steering the ship — were “compromised”. He claimed that they all had threats towards their businesses and families, which rendered them helpless when it came to making tough decisions, such as marching on the capital in defiance of government pressure.

The leader also enumerated the many groups were now operating within the party in Punjab: there is the Hammad Azhar group, the Mian Aslam group, Sheikh Imtiaz and Col (retired) Ijaz Minhas have their own factions, while there are Aon Bappi and the Qureshi clan groups in south Punjab and Tahir Sadiq and Zulfi Bukhari groups in north Punjab, etc.

Talking to Dawn, KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said the provincial chapter was on the same page as the entire party and ready to go with its decision to protest on Oct 15, even though party leaders and workers wanted to take a break from constant agitation.

“We (in KP) were looking after the PTM jirga and ready to follow the decision to protest, but the party chairman announced the postponement of the protest late at night and we stayed back,” Mr Saif said.

Dispelling the impression that the KP leaders were reluctant to protest, Mr Saif said the province had aggressively come forward in four protests, one after the other, at Sangjani, Liaqat Bagh, Lahore and Islamabad and had planned to participate in the Oct 15 protest.

“The KP chief minister had even called a meeting of party MPAs and assigned them duties, but the party chairman called off the protest on an offer by the interior ministry,” Mr Saif said, adding that the KP chapter was also concerned about rumours surrounding Mr Khan’s health and a ban on meeting him.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024