Recriminations grow over failure of PTI protest plan

The failure of the PTI protest march has reignited internal disputes within the party, prompting questions about leadership accountability. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja attempted to quell speculation of disagreements among core committee members by asserting that there should be no ambiguity regarding the situation. However, insiders claim that the decision to announce the march date of September 27th was made without proper consultation, and the plans remained undisclosed to party leaders.

The core committee began discussing the reasons behind the failed protest in a late-night meeting that lasted until 2am, with 16 members provided the opportunity to speak. It emerged that Sohail Afridi, the non-functional chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had convened a meeting in August, during which the march date was announced.

This information was subsequently leaked to vloggers, leading to criticism that the core committee was unaware of the operational strategy and broader negotiation tactics. PTI leaders publicly denied any internal divisions, but a senior party insider revealed that Afridi was reluctant to share the plan, leading to disagreements among committee members.

The PTI team reportedly contemplated walking out over the issue of terrorism, but ultimately decided to use Imran Khan's name and arrange a meeting with him instead. The failure to hold the protest march after Afridi's arrest led to accusations that the party's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa branch lacked a strategy, as 1,400 workers and leaders were arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order law.

The opposition's role in the talks' failure was attributed to 70% by Haleem Adil Sheikh, while the government was held responsible for the remaining 30%. The meeting also touched on reports claiming that PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar had approved the establishment of offices of the Tehreek-e-Insaf All Parties (TTAP) at the district level, a claim that was denied by Barrister Gohar.