Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is facing reported internal disagreements following its recent protest march, with senior leaders questioning the party’s strategy, decision-making and coordination. The differences became public on Wednesday when PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur reportedly clashed over the handling of the protest campaign.
According to party insiders, Raja criticised moves by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmakers to nominate Gandapur as the party’s provincial president on an interim basis. Gandapur reportedly responded by demanding an apology from the secretary general over remarks he considered inappropriate. The disagreement has brought renewed attention to PTI’s internal leadership arrangements and political strategy.
The dispute follows an internal review of the protest march announced for September 27. Several members of the party’s core committee reportedly questioned how the date was finalised and whether the wider leadership had been consulted adequately. During a lengthy meeting, participants discussed the planning, coordination and operational strategy of the march.
A party leader speaking on condition of anonymity said some members had repeatedly sought details about the protest but had not received clear answers. The meeting also examined the role of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in announcing the march. Although a meeting reportedly took place in the province in August to discuss the proposed date, questions later emerged about whether the decision had received sufficient approval from the party’s political and core committees.
The reported detention of Sohail Afridi and the absence of a clear contingency plan also became subjects of discussion. Members reportedly questioned why the party had been unable to mobilise a protest despite the arrests of more than 1,400 workers and leaders under public order laws. These concerns formed part of the wider internal review of the campaign’s planning and execution.
Salman Akram Raja subsequently sought to play down reports of divisions within the leadership. In a social media statement, he praised Afridi for remaining committed to PTI founder Imran Khan’s political ideology, while acknowledging that the administrative arrangements for the march required critical review. The committee also discussed disagreements over negotiations with the government, the party’s position on terrorism and reported conditions attached to a proposed meeting with Imran Khan.
Some members reportedly opposed organising another protest march under the prevailing circumstances, while others supported renewed mobilisation. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram declined to comment when contacted about the reported disagreements. The discussions highlight differing views within the party over leadership appointments, protest planning and its immediate political direction.
