Differences emerge within PTI ranks: Report
ISLAMABAD: Tensions brewed within the ranks of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) as members expressed dismay over what they alleged were damaging remarks made by fellow party colleague Sher Afzal Marwat.
The mater came to a head during a heated exchange at the party’s core commitee meeting.
Party officials revealed a sharp exchange of words between PTI members Sher Afzal Marwat and Niazullah Niazi.
Marwat found himself at the receiving end of criticism from several core commitee members, with Firdous Shamim Naqvi going as far as suggesting that Marwat seemed to need constant supervision with a “teacher” to guide him at all times and curb his outspoken tendencies. “He is atacking his own people.”
Marwat, on the other hand, lamented what he alleged was a smear campaign against him, accusing party members of remaining silent in the face of adversity. “I have led PTI, and PTI’S own members are talking against me,” Marwat pointed out.
However, core commitee members denounced Marwat’s deviation from the party’s established narrative. They asserted that it took considerable effort to shape the party’s message over months, only for Marwat to undermine it switly.
Amid the escalating verbal confrontation, party leaders such as Ali Mohammad Khan, Naeem Panjutha, and Barrister Gohar intervened to defuse tensions.
The escalating tensions unfolded against the backdrop of a series of contentious statements given by Marwat which provided fodder for speculations, especially from rivals, that there was a lack of consensus in the party.
Recently, controversy involving Marwat and Ali Muhammad Khan erupted, who pointed fingers at their own party’s social media team for allegedly launching a smear campaign against former cricket captain Shahid Afridi.
The controversy erupted when an old video of Afridi circulated on social media plaforms, wherein he addressed the no-confidence motion against then-prime minister Imran Khan, his pre-election pledges, and the performance of his government.