Rally ruckus: Internal rifts in PTI local leadership may bob head on Nov 30

One group led by Sadaqat Abbasi, other by Ijaz Khan Jazi.


Fawad Ali November 24, 2014

RAWALPINDI: Internal rifts in the ranks of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Rawalpindi and northern Punjab chapters may have some bearing on the party’s November 30 rally.

Party workers in Rawalpindi district and in northern Punjab including Attock, Gujar Khan and Jhelum are in a fix over whom to follow after the suspension of former PTI northern Punjab chapter president Sadaqat Abbasi. Two groups have since appeared in the party fold.

One group is led by Abbasi, while the other is led by PTI MPA Ijaz Khan Jazi, who was recently appointed district president by PTI chief Imran Khan following the suspension of Abbasi and other PTI local workers after a recent brawl between PTI workers and security staff near Khan’s container.

The PTI chief has also tasked Jazi to bring people from the four districts in Rawalpindi Division to the party rally on November.

Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation by PTI leader Jehangir Tareen has found Abbasi and his supporters guilty of instigating the brawl, which led to suspension and expulsion of Abbasi, MPAs Arif Abbasi and Rashid Hafeez, and other office bearers.

A senior office bearer of the PTI district chapter said while requesting anonymity that the party leadership has tasked an ‘anti-Sadaqat group’ to run party affairs at city, district and northern Punjab levels.

Though Jazi has been assigned to run party activities at district level, no one has been given the assignment for the northern Punjab region.

“There is no possibility that their membership will be restored as they have been ordered to refrain from participating in party functions,” said the office bearer while talking about Abbasi and other suspended workers.

Interestingly, the PTI won most of their provincial assembly seats in the region due to the efforts of Arif Abbasi, Rashid Hafeez and their supporters, and their expulsion from party has perturbed their supporters at union, city and district levels.

Abbasi, when contacted, confirmed that no one from the party leadership has contacted them to come back into the fold. He said that his group was not stopping anyone from participating in the PTI sit-in or the November 30 rally.  “We are fighting for a cause that doesn’t dependent on personalities,” he said.

Local party workers fear that the continued rifts in the party rank-and-file may affect turnout at the November 30 rally.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2014.

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