Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shir Afzal Marwat has addressed internal party differences and said that anyone who speaks against him should not expect him to remain silent.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and senior leader Sher Afzal Marwat engaged in a war of words, signaling a growing rift in the former ruling party.

Raja questioned Marwat’s “competence” to comment on party affairs after the latter raised a query about Raja’s status as a party official.

Today, speaking on the program Center Stage, Marwat explained that while he had earlier pledged not to escalate the issue of Salman Akram Raja, he made it clear that no one had the right to make baseless statements against him in the media.

He added that if anyone speaks out against him, they should not expect silence in return.

Marwat further emphasized that media discussions would only create problems and that he would reply to anyone who talked about him.

He also highlighted that some individuals were not able to tolerate the affection he receives from people and mentioned the presence of pressure groups in the party.

He clarified that despite such pressure, he had never approached the PTI founder to form factions and emphasized that he only valued respect.

When asked about ongoing talks, Marwat expressed that both the government and the PTI were merely engaged in “fireworks” but the dialogue process would continue.

He pointed out that PTI’s founder had already suggested that a list of demands should be presented to move forward with the talks.

Regarding meetings with PTI’s founder, Marwat stated that it was not a big problem to arrange such meetings and if these meetings did not take place, the talks should still continue.

He also commented on the recent statement of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, claiming that as convener, Sadiq should have scheduled meetings with clear dates, while PTI had not made demands beyond the government’s capacity to handle.

Marwat concluded by praising the PTI for showing patience in the face of the government’s attempts to sow discord, and expressed confidence that once talks begin, the situation will improve.

In response to a question about meetings held between November 22 and 25, Marwat confirmed that offers were indeed made and stated that it was wrong to suggest otherwise.

He noted that while he was not personally aware of any backdoor contacts, those who had previously engaged in such communications were now part of the negotiating team.