Three siblings fighting among themselves over petty problems on a daily basis will eventually stop getting any serious attention from caregivers, who are familiar with the trivial nature of the endless blame games to the point that they are no longer bothered even when the children present a valid point. Leading politicians from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) are not much different from the three children.
Recently, PTI leader and former Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra called out Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on the grounds that his assets amounted to approximately Rs100 million however, he had disbursed Rs750 million to party rallies and the public within one year.
Conversely, the party's central leader Azam Swati accused the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, Babar Saleem Swati, of taking advantage of his position in the Assembly and making illegal appointments and promotions.
On the other hand, Gandapur criticized the former Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser alongside important leaders like Atif Khan and Shahram Tarakai during an interview for holding party tickets for the provincial assembly despite their shifty allegiances.
PTI sources have disclosed that at present, three dissenting groups have formed due to internal differences within the party in K-P. The first group is led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, from whom the provincial presidency was also recently withdrawn. This group includes MPAs and members of the national and provincial assemblies from the southern districts, Hazara and Peshawar.
The second group is jointly led by Junaid Akbar and Atif Khan, and also includes Shahram Tarakai, Asad Qaiser, Shakeel Khan among other leaders from Malakand. Similarly, a third group is also currently active in PTI, which is led by Taimur Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, and includes those MPAs who are unhappy with losing the elections with Form 45 and the provincial government refusing to form a commission on the issue. In response to the differences emerging between the Chief Minister and PTI leaders, the central leadership of the party took notice of Ali Amin Gandapur's statements, which were also confirmed by provincial president Junaid Akbar.
According to Hafizullah Khan, Assistant Professor at the Abdul Wali Khan University, research conducted across Europe and South Asia has shown that whenever a party or politician engages in verbal warfare through the use of insults and accusations, people within the party and outside the party lose faith in them. "As a result, the party's popularity decreases due to the lack of interest from the public. Only when politicians start focusing on issues of health, education and employment, can politics be served in the real sense," said Khan.
According to information received by The Express Tribune from sources within PTI, echoes of the Forward Bloc against the Chief Minister are also being heard in PTI's WhatsApp groups and meetings. Allegedly, there was also a discussion on the Minerals Bill between the Chief Minister and Atif Khan in the party's WhatsApp group.
Commenting on the matter, PTI Peshawar Region President Atif Khan, while talking to The Express Tribune, advised the Chief Minister to focus on governance and refrain from creating issues within the party and leadership. "No Forward Group is going to be formed in PTI. If the CM has differences with me, then it is his right, but there should be no lambasting against Asad Qaiser, Shakeel Khan and other seniors," iimplored Khan.
Likewise, MNA Shahram Tarakai wrote in a message on X that the Chief Minister should stop making accusations and focus on the government's performance. "We also reserve the right to respond to the allegations he is making," said Tarakai.
Talking to The Express Tribune from a camp set up in Peshawar for the release of the PTI founder, PTI K-P President Junaid Akbar denied the news alleging the removal of Chief Minister. "The party's political committee has taken note of the allegations made by the Chief Minister against the leaders. The politics of the allegations are wrong. Whether it is Gandapur or Jhagra, all are ultimately working for the PTI founder. Gandapur was appointed by the founder, and he can remove him whenever he wishes. However, both the dissenting parties, including the Chief Minister, should exercise restraint and refrain from leveling accusations," noted Akbar.
Sources from within PTI revealed that district-level and country wide protests were expected to start after Eid to press for the release of the PTI founder, but due to internal differences within the party, the movement seems to be weakening.
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