Lahore:
PTI is struggling with internal departments over the timeline and strategy of a nationwide protest aimed at ensuring the release of its imprisoned founder, former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The disagreement, primarily between the party’s central leadership and its Punjab chapter, has escalated as the proposed date 5 August for Peak Protest -Intention, which marks two years ago Khan’s prison.
The central management-inclusive presidential lawyer Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur-Has Purified a 90-day campaign that culminates with a decisive protest, and emphasizes a strategic structure to maximize the impact.
Gandapur, who spoke at a press conference in Lahore on July 13, described the movement as a “do-or-die” effort to challenge what PTI calls a “fascist regime” and to ensure Khan’s release. He emphasized that the campaign would involve mobilization of supporters in each district and tehsil, and peaked before August 5, after which a new phase would be announced.
In contrast, PTI Punjab chief organizer Aliya Hamza Malik firmly supported an immediate protest on August 5, adapting a call attributed to Imran Khan via his sister, Aleema Khan. Malik has reportedly threatened to resign if the party differs from this date and highlights a lack of coordination with central leadership.
Sources indicate that Malik has already directed the party’s Punjab organization to prepare for protest August 5 and mobilize workers in districts such as Okara, Toba Tek Singh, Pakpattan, Faisalabad and Chiniot.
Rift was public when Malik, excluded from a key strategy meeting in Lahore, expressed her frustration over X. In a number of positions, she asked the origin of the “90-day plan” and sought clarity of the movement’s goals, where she said: “Focus and goals are only the release of Imran Khan.”
Her absence from the meeting – which included Gandapur, PTI -General Salman Salman Akram Raja and Punjab Assembly – opposition leader Malik Ahmad Bhachar – was dismissed by Raja as “because of her other obligations,” a claim that Malik rejected sarcastically, and noted that she was not unaware of her presumed business.
However, Aleema Khan, who spoke to the media, greeted the Lahore collection as a sign of unity among PTI parliamentarians, but expressed ignorance of Malik’s exclusion and said, “We were told that this was a meeting with parliamentarians.”
She confirmed Imran Khan’s call to the protests to reach August 5, noting that his entire family, including his UK-based sons, would participate.
Barrister Gohar has tried to cushion the discrepancy and encourage leaders to tackle concerns through internal party channels rather than in the public forums. “If any leader has a complaint, they must inform me directly,” he said. Nevertheless, this public spat has raised concerns about cohesion among the PTI rows at a critical time when some analysts suggest that it reflects deeper questions about centralization and trust within the party.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government, led by chief minister Maryam Nawaz, has signaled a firm attitude towards potential turmoil.
Punjab -Information Minister Azma Bukhari recognized the right to peaceful protest, but accused PTI of having a history of violence – a reference to May 9, 2023, events. “No political party is allowed to attack with weapons,” Bukhari said.
