PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has backed talks with the government and the establishment to restore the provincial government and secure the release of detained Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, non-functional Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other cabinet members and lawmakers.
The lawmakers urged the party’s central leadership to ensure the parliamentary party was represented in any negotiations.
The PTI parliamentary party held an online meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation following the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency measures.
Participants expressed concern that the party leadership had not consulted them on its future strategy, sources said. They agreed on the need for a joint approach to address the political situation.
Meanwhile, differences within the party have surfaced over the K-P chief ministership, party leadership and fears of a possible forward bloc, prompting party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan to ask leaders to stop publicly criticising one another.
PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar, meanwhile, signalled the possible resumption of talks with the government, while dismissing the reports of any divisions within the parliamentary party and insisting that opposition leaders Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas enjoyed its full confidence.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dogar said party’s founder Imran Khan had entrusted responsibilities of the opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate to Achakzai and Abbas, respectively, therefore, no change in the opposition leadership could be made without Khan’s consent.
Dogar also maintained that Sohail Afridi was the party’s constitutional and lawful chief minister in K-P and enjoyed Khan’s confidence. “Any attempt to replace him without approval would amount to stabbing the party in the back,” he said.
There were reports of internal tensions in the PTI following the imposition of an emergency and governor’s rule in K-P after the opposition’s talks with the government collapsed earlier this month. Dogar, however, expressed the hope that negotiations with the government would resume in the coming days.
Dogar spoke against the backdrop of a purported audio recording of former K-P chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur criticising the party’s Secretary General Salman Akram Raja over his mishandling of the party’s affairs that contributed to the K-P governor’s rule as well as the party’s present predicament.
Gandapur reportedly demanded that Raja delete his recent social media post, apologise and substantiate his allegations. He also questioned Raja’s claims about lawmakers allegedly planning to announce a provincial president and a new candidate for chief ministership without Khan’s approval.
In his post, Raja had warned that the party’s unity was under attack by “undemocratic decision-makers”. He alleged that a group had severed contact with Afridi and his team, paving the way for an emergency and governor’s rule. He urged party members not to heed to conspiracy claims before an investigation.
Raja also maintained that Junaid Akbar remained the PTI provincial president, while Ali Asghar Khan was serving as acting president in Akbar’s absence. He said Afridi continued to hold the chief minister’s office under the Constitution and the law.
Gandapur objected to Raja’s remarks, including his reference to “snakes and snails”, saying such language insulted lawmakers who had stood by Khan for decades. Former minister Aftab Alam and other lawmakers also urged Raja to consult the provincial parliamentary party before commenting on sensitive matters.
Speaking by telephone to The Express Tribune, Gohar said he had spoken to Gandapur, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Ali Asghar Khan and Raja, and asked them to refrain from issuing statements against one another. He insisted that the party’s provincial lawmakers had neither violated party policy nor intended to do so.
Gohar reiterated that Afridi was, and would remain, the PTI’s chief minister in K-P. Dogar, meanwhile, said the party remained committed to negotiations despite “unprecedented oppression”, adding that more than 10 PTI members of the National Assembly were in jail.
