• Khawaja Asif claims party fragmented into multiple factions
• Marriyum says ‘party that divided the country’ itself broken into pieces
• Azma claims KP CM being labelled corrupt by his own party members

SIALKOT: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, declaring that the party had fractured into multiple factions amid mounting internal disputes among senior leaders.

Speaking at an event in Sialkot, Mr Asif said the party was as divided as the number of its members. “We don’t need to abuse them — they are doing it themselves.”

His comments came as infighting within the PTI has intensified in recent days, with two more leaders calling for an inquiry against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur for terming them “conspirators”.

A tug of war is going on between KP assembly speaker Babar Saleem Swati and Azam Khan Swati, both from Mansehra, while former KP minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra has locked horns with the party’s internal accountability committee.

On Friday, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser and MNA Shahram Tarakai demanded that the party leadership hold an inquiry into a recent statement by the KP chief minister made during a podcast.

Referring to PTI’s inquiry into Mr Jhagra, Mr Asif said, “Party members are now calling each other thieves.”

In contrast, Mr Asif praised the economic progress made under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, particularly the recent reduction in electricity prices. “No one could have imagined a year or two ago that electricity prices could be brought down,” he said.

He added that inflation had been brought under control due to effective policies, citing a booming stock market, rising remittances, a stable exchange rate and a sharp drop in the interest rate by 10 percentage points as indicators of improving economic conditions.

Separately, Mr Asif also met citizens at his residence in Sialkot Cantt and issued directions to local authorities to resolve their grievances.

‘Product of chaos’

Meanwhile, Punjab’s senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the party that divided the country has itself broken into pieces. “The entire nation has seen how the PTI held others accountable — by putting them behind bars — and now they’re turning on each other,” she said.

She accused the PTI-led government of “four years of incompetence”, claiming that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had been stalled and 10 million people were left unemployed during their rule. “Those who are the product of chaos can only produce chaos,” she added.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari also joined the chorus, targeting KP Chief Minister Gandapur. “Even his own party and cabinet members are calling him corrupt,” she said.

Responding to remarks made by KP spokesperson Barrister Saif — who claimed profiteers had flourished in Punjab during Ramazan — Ms Bokhari said the province had delivered public relief through well-managed Ramazan Sahulat bazaars.

Amjad Mahmood in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2025