Internal friction: Discontented PTI workers ransack Insaf House in Karachi

Activists express anger over party's decision to nominate Firdous Shamim Naqvi to contest from PS-102

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) decision to award party ticket to its Karachi president, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, for PS-102 did sit well with the party activists and workers.

Tension prevailed at Insaf House when scores of party workers vandalised the party's headquarters in Karachi on Saturday apparently due to their discontentment over awarding of party tickets to 'irrelevant' leaders.

Police and the party officials said the attackers were not outsiders, but from their own party. The incident took place Saturday evening at Insaf House located on Sharae Faisal.

Shouting slogans against some senior leaders of PTI, including Naqvi and Arif Alvi, scores of angry workers came and vandalized the party's office when the parliamentary board meeting was under way at the party's headquarters.

The meeting was attended by PTI leaders Naqvi, Arif Alvi, Imran Ismail, Ali Zaidi, Haleem Adil Sheikh and Liaquat Jatoi.



The party workers, appealing to PTI Chairperson Imran Khan to visit Karachi and personally look into the matter of awarding party tickets, were of the view that the parliamentary board was taking decisions of its own choice rather than on merit.

Breaking doors and windows at Insaf House, the angry party workers graffitied phrases such as, 'Karachi president usurping seats of candidates unacceptable to PS-102' and 'Go Arif Alvi go' on the walls of the building.

PTI leaders and police officials said the office was attacked by party workers after the PTI chairperson named Naqvi as the candidate to contest elections from PS-102 in Karachi.

PTI senior leader Imran Ismail said the attackers were not outsiders. "They [the attackers] were from the party. They were about 300 to 400. They were angry with some leaders of the party," explained Imran Ismail while talking to The Express Tribune.

An extra contingent of law enforcers also reached the site following the incident, however, no arrest was made as the situation had already calmed down by then.

Police officials said they were not allowed in by the party. "The party administration did not allow us to visit the office's premises," said Tipu Sultan SHO Nawaz Brohi. "But it seems that it was their internal matter and it was not an act of terrorism or crime."

He said PTI was trying to resolve the issue itself.