LAHORE: PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry lashed out at the party’s own governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday for “failing party workers” by “not responding befittingly” to the coalition government’s actions against their leader Imran Khan, alleged torture on Shahbaz Gill and the May 25 episode.

“Let me make it clear to our provincial governments that people did not vote [for you so that you] become a minister,” Mr Chaudhry tweeted. “Be it the attempt to arrest Imran Khan, the events of May 25 or the arrest and torture of Shahbaz Gill and [other] political workers, you have disappointed the workers. Those ruling the 25km of Islamabad have become goons.”

When asked about his criticism of the PTI provincial governments, the former information minister told Dawn he had talked about the “frustration and disappointment” among PTI workers about the “failure” of the party’s provincial governments in giving a befitting response to the “fascist tactics” of the Shehbaz administration.

“No action has been taken yet against those involved in the May 25 torture of PTI leaders and workers in Punjab and KP. How come over a dozen PML-N MPAs wanted in cases in Punjab managed to flee to Islamabad? Who facilitated their escape? From whom the Punjab [inspector general of police] and the chief secretary are taking orders?” he questioned.

He also wondered why there hadn’t been any response from the PTI provincial governments to the federal government’s “witch-hunt” of Imran Khan. “The PTI workers want a tit-for-tat response to the federal coalition government for its illegal actions against the party chairman, its leaders and workers,” he said.

Last week the Punjab police failed to arrest at least a dozen PML-N provincial lawmakers despite securing their warrants for their alleged involvement in the violence witnessed in the Punjab Assembly during the chief minister’s election on April 16.

The MPAs managed to flee to Islamabad, where their party is at the helm of affairs, raising eyebrows among the PTI ranks as to how come they evaded arrest and that there must have been “some insiders” behind their escape.

Sources said some PTI leaders had blamed the “poor strategy” of Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar for this botched operation to arrest the PML-N legislators.

The PTI leadership alleges that “brutal action” against its party leaders and supporters during the party’s May 25 long march on Islamabad was unleashed by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and the then Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz.

The PTI says the interior minister would pay for his role in the crackdown. Meanwhile, Hamza Shehbaz is in London for an “indefinite period”.

“Hamza has managed to flee to London. We should have acted against him for his role in the May 25 episode before his departure to London,” Mr Chaudhry lamented.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2022