PTI faces internal rift over August 5 protest plans

Central leadership plans 90-day campaign ending in major protest to build momentum and maximise impact

Photo: SCREENGRAB

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is grappling with internal divisions over the timeline and strategy for a nationwide protest aimed at securing the release of its jailed founder, former prime minister Imran Khan.

The discord, primarily between the party’s central leadership and its Punjab chapter, has escalated tensions as the proposed August 5 protest date approaches, marking two years since Khan’s imprisonment.

The central leadership — including Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur — has advocated for a 90-day campaign culminating in a decisive protest, emphasising a strategic build-up to maximise impact.

Gandapur, speaking at a Lahore press conference on July 13, described the movement as a “do-or-die” effort to challenge what PTI calls a “fascist regime” and to secure Khan’s release.

Read More: Aleema Khan welcomes PTI Parliamentarians’ unity at Lahore meeting

He stressed that the campaign would involve mobilising supporters across every district and tehsil, peaking by August 5, after which a new phase would be announced.

In contrast, PTI Punjab Chief Organizer Aliya Hamza Malik has firmly backed an immediate protest on August 5, aligning with a call attributed to Imran Khan via his sister, Aleema Khan.

Malik has reportedly threatened to resign if the party deviates from this date, highlighting a lack of coordination with the central leadership.

Sources indicate that Malik has already directed Punjab’s party organisation to prepare for the August 5 protest, mobilising workers in districts such as Okara, Toba Tek Singh, Pakpattan, Faisalabad, and Chiniot.

The rift became public when Malik, excluded from a key strategy meeting in Lahore, voiced her frustration on X.

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