ISLAMABAD / PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) faced internal turmoil following the last-minute postponement of its planned gathering in Tarnol, initially set for August 22. The decision, which was reportedly made without consulting party founder Imran Khan, currently imprisoned in Adiala jail, has sparked discontent among party members.
PTI leaders Gohar Ali Khan and Azam Swati asserted on Thursday that the rally was postponed at the behest of Imran Khan. They claimed that Khan, after meeting with them early in the morning, requested the event be deferred out of respect for planned demonstrations related to the sanctity of Khatm-i-Nabuwwat (PBUH), which were also scheduled for the same day.
In support of this, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur stated that the rally had been canceled on Khan’s orders and rescheduled for September 8.
However, a senior PTI leader disclosed that the decision to postpone the event was actually made during a late-night meeting of the party leadership in Peshawar on Wednesday. This meeting, held at the KP Chief Minister’s residence, followed the federal government’s cancellation of the no-objection certificate required for the rally.
The abrupt postponement has led to allegations of poor coordination and mistrust within the party. Adding to the controversy, an audio recording, allegedly of Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, surfaced on multiple TV channels. In the recording, she expresses her dissatisfaction with the decision, claiming it was made without Imran Khan’s knowledge. She implied that certain party leaders, whom she suspected of having ties to the establishment, were behind the move.
Aleema Khan also questioned how Azam Swati was able to meet her brother so early in the morning before official visiting hours began.
In an interesting turn of events, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the head of the PTI-led opposition alliance, was reportedly unaware of the postponement. He and other leaders arrived at the venue at 4 pm, only to find no PTI leadership present.
The delay frustrated many PTI workers who had traveled to Islamabad for the rally, with some expressing their disappointment on social media. A video showing KP Chief Minister Gandapur distributing money among party supporters in Swabi further fueled criticism of the leadership’s decision-making.
Meanwhile, in Swabi, PTI supporters voiced their dissatisfaction with the repeated postponements, viewing the delay as a sign of the party’s diminishing strength. Tensions escalated when some supporters temporarily blocked the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway after learning that PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat had been briefly detained by the police. Marwat was released shortly after.
