Confusion mars PTI rally strategy

Party leader claims only 15-minute consultation held before announcement

LAHORE:

Confusion prevails in PTI over the fruitfulness of the September 27 rally's strategy, a well-placed leader in the party revealed, claiming that the party only held a 15-minute consultation session before announcing the plan, revealing the depth of brainstorming that went into this plan.

"We lack seriousness for a do-or-die rally," the leader said, asserting that nothing is happening in either Punjab or K-P to build the kind of momentum that precedes a grand movement.

He said the only sane suggestion in this regard, according to his information, came from Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who proposed that the entire PTI should converge at Swabi, from where K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi should proceed very slowly towards Islamabad, building pressure on the government and giving the powers that be an opportunity to offer us some room for negotiations.

However, unfortunately, CM K-P Sohail Afridi is proceeding with his own plan, which suggests that something was cooking in the background that could be used to call the plan off midway.

The leader further revealed that there was a 15-minute consultative meeting in Peshawar, attended by only CM Sohail Afridi, Barrister Gohar and Junaid Akbar.

The leader said that from JUI-F to PPP, the PTI feels that the political situation has turned in its favour. He said messaging between the PTI and PPP showed that the latter was weighing its options over leaving the treasury benches.

Another leader said that CM Sohail Afridi did not even have the support of the entire K-P chapter. Former CM K-P Ali Amin Gandapur, nor those close to him, would fully support the event.

He said that even if Junaid Akbar managed to convince Gandapur to join, the former CM would not be able to bring the kind of crowd that he could pull on his own from south K-P.

It has been learnt that JUI-F was also approached to participate in the event, but it declined, informing TTAP that the alliance was still at a nascent stage.

A party office-bearer in Punjab joked that, given the ambitiousness of the plan, we were once again being asked to write our will. He said that the party would soon begin its mobilisation drive; however, thus far, nothing was happening.

The party spokesperson was approached for comments but was not available.

It is pertinent to mention here that CM K-P Sohail Afridi is expected to reach Sindh, along with Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and a cabinet member, and will stay in the province until Sunday, during which he will attend different events.

As per the announced plan, he will reach Sindh by road at Kamoon Shaheed, travelling through Jacobabad, Naushahro Feroze and Hyderabad. He would then reach Karachi, where he would attend a major rally at Shahrah-e-Quaideen.