Recriminations grow over failure of PTI protest plan
• Salman Akram Raja tries to quell talk of ‘disagreement’ among core committee members • Insiders say march date was announced without consultation; protest plans kept under wraps, even from party leaders ISLAMABAD: Controversy over its failure to hold a protest march continues to plague the PTI, with the fallout suggesting differences within its leadership over who is to blame for the botched…
Controversy surrounding the PTI's botched protest march has sparked recriminations within the party. The incident saw the protest plans kept under wraps, even from party leaders, with the date only announced without consultation. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja dismissed allegations of internal disagreement, calling the non-functional Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, Sohail Afridi, a "brave young man" who has remained loyal to the party's ideology.
However, insiders revealed that the core committee had already begun to discuss the reasons behind the march's failure, with the meeting lasting until the early hours of Saturday. Afridi was said to have called a meeting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in August, where the march date was announced. This information was later leaked to vloggers, leading to accusations that the protest details had not been discussed in the political committee.
The PTI team reportedly walked out over the issue of terrorism, only to be convinced to use Imran Khan's name and meet with him instead. Members of the core committee expressed frustration over the lack of a protest plan after Afridi's arrest. While PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram declined to comment, other party leaders offered varying assessments of responsibility for the protest's failure.
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