Five senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders detained at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail have urged the party’s leadership to maintain unity, avoid public disagreements and prioritise efforts to secure the release of Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Their appeal comes amid reported internal differences over the party’s political strategy and leadership decisions.
The joint letter, sent through Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar, is addressed to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, members of the parliamentary party and representatives of the party’s political and core committees. The letter has been signed by Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed and Omar Sarfraz Cheema.
The incarcerated leaders described PTI as being at a critical stage in its political journey and stressed the importance of preserving the party’s organisational strength and public confidence. They also referred to the challenges facing the party following the prolonged imprisonment of its founder, Imran Khan, and the difficulties confronting its remaining leadership.
In their letter, the leaders offered recommendations for managing internal differences. They called on senior party figures to exercise patience, avoid hasty reactions to rumours and resolve disagreements through consultation and collective decision-making. They also urged party members to keep discussions held during internal meetings confidential until an official position is announced.
The signatories further advised leaders against expressing personal opinions in the media before the party establishes a unified stance. They also argued that the current political circumstances were not suitable for resignations or demands for other leaders to step down.
A central demand in the letter is that securing Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s release should become a leading priority for the party’s political and legal strategy. According to the signatories, Qureshi has been imprisoned for more than three years and has been acquitted in six cases and granted bail in others. They added that proceedings in two similar cases remained delayed because the relevant records had not been presented.
The jailed leaders argued that Qureshi’s release would strengthen the party’s leadership as it deals with its current challenges. Their appeal emphasises coordinated legal efforts and collective decision-making rather than allowing internal disagreements to dominate the party’s agenda.
The letter comes amid reported differences within PTI over political strategy and leadership decisions. By calling for consultation, discipline and unity, the signatories have urged the party’s leadership to focus on shared objectives and the legal cases involving its senior figures.
According to the report, Minute Mirror obtained the letter through Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar and was seeking responses from Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja. The party leadership’s response to the appeal was not included in the supplied report.
