LAHORE:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appears to be grappling with internal uncertainty in Punjab over plans to launch a post-Eid movement for the release of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan as questions emerge over how to mobilise workers in the province.
Party sources said the Punjab leadership remained in a state of indecision, with concerns mounting over how to activate a fragmented organisational structure and meet mobilisation targets set by the central leadership.
According to the sources, reviving the party’s scattered base in Punjab would be a major challenge. Despite directives from the central leadership, provincial office-bearers have largely remained inactive.
They added that Punjab Chief Organiser Aliya Hamza and the president of Central Punjab are currently in hiding due to convictions, while the Lahore president is reportedly not in contact with anyone.
Lawmakers have also expressed concern over the feasibility of mobilising more than 200,000 young people from Punjab as part of the movement. The sources among PTI legislators said workers in Punjab were already fearful due to arrests and raids, which had dampened organisational activity.
They further pointed out that members of the National Assembly are required to travel to Islamabad every week, making it difficult for them to focus on mobilising the party at the grassroots level.
A PTI leader noted that the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was different, as the party is in government there, unlike in Punjab.
Meanwhile, PTI MNA Waqas Man said some party figures based abroad should return to Pakistan if they wanted to lead mobilisation efforts. “Some people of PTI are sitting abroad and making statements. They should come here and gather people.”
Leaders of the TTAP on Thursday demanded that incarcerated PTI founding chairman Imran Khan be shifted to Shifa International Hospital amid concerns over his health, while also launching a critique of the government’s economic and governance policies.
Addressing a news conference, TTAP leaders Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Hussain Ahmed Yousafzai and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry questioned why the government was making the PTI founder’s health “controversial.”
Jhagra said the issue could be resolved by shifting Imran to Shifa International Hospital and allowing access to his family and personal physicians. He alleged that authorities were not issuing visas to Imran’s sons despite repeated requests since August last year.
The TTAP leaders criticised the government’s economic performance, claiming it had failed to introduce reforms over the past four years. They said the impact of rising fuel prices had already been felt by the public, alleging that early increases had benefited companies by billions of rupees.
They further argued that Pakistan had failed to build adequate fuel reserves, unlike countries such as Russia and China, and warned that the government’s policies had put the national economy at risk.
Highlighting economic indicators, the speakers claimed exports had declined by 33 per cent this year and alleged that the exchange rate was being artificially controlled, eroding investor confidence both locally and internationally.
