LAHORE:
The absence of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi from a key PTI parliamentary meeting has raised questions within the party about the prospects of its planned nationwide protest movement beginning on August 5, with some leaders fearing it could become another missed opportunity.
A senior PTI leader told The Express Tribune that the chief minister, who had been designated by PTI founder Imran Khan to lead the party’s street movement, did not attend the meeting at which the decision to launch a nationwide protest campaign was taken.
According to the leader, party leaders made repeated attempts to contact Afridi but received no positive response. He said the chief minister’s absence from such a crucial meeting, where the nationwide movement was to be finalised, indicated possible internal differences within the party.
The leader said that with increasing restrictions on the PTI’s political activities in Punjab and an equally difficult environment in Sindh, the K-P remained the only province where the party could organise a sizeable demonstration without the fear of mass arrests.
“It seems highly unlikely that the K-P chief minister would be able to mobilise a large crowd, given his lacklustre response to the meeting,” the leader said.
A PTI leader from Punjab told The Express Tribune that PTI and the TTAPan opposition parties alliancewould hold demonstrations at one pre-designated location in every district on August 5 to ensure that their political activity remained within the ambit of the law and avoided legal complications.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the leader said the PTI and the TTAP would begin corner meetings to mobilise workers and explain the objectives of the protest campaign.
When asked what message the party would give supporters regarding its campaign for Imran Khan’s release, he said the PTI would unveil its detailed strategy closer to the protest date.
He said the party expected police to launch another wave of arrests against its leaders and workers in the days leading up to August 5 and would therefore keep its plans confidential until the last moment.
According to him, PTI Punjab was not planning to mobilise large crowds, saying the purpose of the protest was primarily to demonstrate that the party retained the ability to organise a street movement.
Another party leader said Imran’s sister Aleema Khan was currently engaged in a mobilisation campaign in the K-P. He added that if she were to launch a similar campaign in Punjab shortly before the protest, it could complicate the party’s strategy.
The leader acknowledged that the party was aware that scattered protest activities had proved ineffective in the past but said the PTI intended to fully rely on the TTAP leadership this time in the hope that the movement would produce tangible results.
The PTI and the TTAP have already announced a nationwide movement from August 5 to press the government for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan.
The date coincides with the completion of another year of Imran’s incarceration. However, another senior party leader rejected suggestions that Aleema was conducting a formal mobilisation campaign.
He said she was in the K-P on a private leisure trip and claimed that PTI’s social media activists were incorrectly portraying it as an organisational campaign. He also dismissed reports of a “flash protest” strategy, saying such a plan would prove embarrassing and achieve no meaningful outcome.
He further rejected speculation that the party was considering launching another long march, describing such reports as “mumbo jumbo.” The Express Tribune contacted the K-P government’s spokesperson for comments on the CM’s absence from the parliamentary meeting, but no response was received.
Responding to reports of differences within the party, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram denied that there was any rift. He said the chief minister had official government responsibilities that prevented him from attending the meeting.
When asked about the specific nature of those official commitments, Akram said the party had not been informed about the details but noted that the office of the chief minister was highly demanding and urgent state matters could arise at any time requiring his full attention.
Regarding the party’s protest plans, Akram said several proposals were under consideration and would be presented before the TTAP leadership for consultation. He disclosed that a meeting with the TTAP had been expected on Friday but could not take place.
“The party will finalise its strategy after receiving input from its allies,” he said.
