Pakistan's Imran Khan orders party to stay silent on infighting, focus on protests
Reports of a rift within the party began to emerge after Ali Amin Gandapur, a close Khan aide and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister, announced on July 13 that a 90-day 'do-or-die' protest drive against the government is underway. The protest call, however, appeared to contradict an earlier call for a nationwide protest posted on Khan's official X account, set to culminate on August 5. The day marks the second anniversary of the former prime minister's imprisonment on corruption charges.
Speculation of conflicts within the party further grew after senior PTI leader and Punjab Chief Organizer Aliya Hamza Malik publicly voiced concerns on X about a lack of clarity around the campaign. Malik questioned the origin of the 90-day plan and asked for details on the party's strategy to secure Khan's release.
According to a statement shared from his official X account, Khan told his family and lawyers at Adiala Jail where he is imprisoned, that he and others from the PTI are currently undergoing 'some of the harshest imprisonments.'
'Therefore, I direct every member of the party to put aside all personal grievances,' the statement read. 'Publicly airing internal matters or individual concerns before the media is entirely unacceptable.'
Khan instructed his party members, both juniors and seniors, to avoid sharing 'internal differences' on social media, electronic media, print media or other platforms, urging them to 'focus exclusively' on the protest movement.
'If any party official fails to participate in this movement, I will make the final decision about them myself, even from within jail,' he warned.
The cricketer-turned-politician directed the PTI leadership to decide about nominations for the party's Senate tickets through 'mutual consultation.'
Khan urged his party supporters to continue protesting against the government.
'The time for negotiations has passed,' the statement said. 'What remains now is the time for the nation to rise in protest.'
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar last week dismissed the party's protest call as a 'political gimmick.'
'PTI has lost street power and its credibility, and is heading toward irrelevance,' the minister said.
Khan was ousted from the PM's office in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and jailed in August 2023. Since then, the PTI has repeatedly mobilized street protests, including a large march to Islamabad in November 2024, to demand his release and challenge the legitimacy of the February 2024 general election.
The government accuses the PTI of using the protests to incite instability and disrupt efforts at economic recovery.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said earlier this week that peaceful protest was a democratic right of every individual. However, she accused the PTI of abusing that right in the past.
'PTI has a history of violence and anarchy,' she told reporters. 'No political party is allowed to attack with weapons as Pakistan is our red line.'
Hundreds of PTI supporters were arrested after riots allegedly incited by the party against the military on May 9, 2023. The government also says four soldiers were killed in November protests last year. PTI denies the charges.
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