Imran Khan tells PTI leaders to end rift, focus on movement

RAWALPINDI:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has called on party members to set aside personal differences and focus on the party’s movement, amid signs of growing discord over a recent meeting held in Lahore.

Speaking to the media after meeting Imran at Adiala Jail on Tuesday, Aleema Khan said the former premier had issued two strong messages. “Differences are being deliberately created over the Lahore gathering,” she quoted him as saying. “End personal disputes and focus entirely on the movement.”

She said Imran also criticised his treatment in prison and alleged that both he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were being subjected to “oppression.”

“The jail superintendent and an officer have stripped away basic human rights,” she said, adding, “There must be accountability for the treatment I’ve endured. This is all being done on the orders of one person.”

Aleema further said that Imran expressed satisfaction over the attendance of 300 party parliamentarians at the Lahore meeting but warned that any individual causing divisions in the party would be dealt with personally. “We are in jail, and you are fuelling rifts – that’s unacceptable,” she quoted him as saying.

“We’ve been coming to jail for two years now,” Aleema continued. “Our family fully stands by the party’s decisions. We want to see the founder’s instructions followed. The time has come to pave the way for his release and demand an end to inhumane treatment by the jail authorities.”

Meanwhile, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja publicly reprimanded PTI Punjab Chief Organiser Aliya Hamza, calling her recent tweet regarding the party’s Lahore event unnecessary and warning of disciplinary action.

Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail, Raja expressed frustration over internal tensions following a gathering in Lahore, which was attended by top PTI leadership. “Aliya Hamza should not have tweeted about the Lahore event,” he said, adding, “The entire conversation was foolish. If anything further happens, we will take disciplinary action.”

Read More: Gandapur gives 90-day ultimatum for Imran Khan’s release

He dismissed claims of exclusion from the event, stating that those who didn’t attend did so by choice. “There was no issue of invitations. Whoever wanted to come, could come. No one was stopped,” he said. “The press conference didn’t require everyone’s presence. I only went because the chief minister was there. It wouldn’t have looked right if he addressed the media alone,” he added.

Criticising efforts to politicise the event, he stated, “A controversy was deliberately created around the Lahore event as part of a conspiracy. What was the need to tweet after the press conference? I reject that tweet and warn: don’t do it again.”

Raja also made it clear that the party would follow the timeline set by PTI founder Imran Khan. “The date given by the founder will stand. These talks of 90 days mean nothing. What I say is correct, and if anyone dares to contradict me, I’ll deal with them.”

He emphasised that Aliya’s role was to mobilise the party in Punjab—not to comment on internal matters publicly. “Her job is to work, not to tweet. We will run this movement according to the founder’s instructions,” he concluded.

PTI faces internal rift

PTI is grappling with internal divisions over the timeline and strategy for a nationwide protest aimed at securing the release of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The discord, primarily between the party’s central leadership and its Punjab chapter, has escalated tensions as the proposed August 5 protest date approaches, marking two years since Khan’s imprisonment.

The central leadership — including Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur — has advocated for a 90-day campaign culminating in a decisive protest, emphasising a strategic build-up to maximise impact.

Read More: Aleema Khan welcomes PTI Parliamentarians’ unity at Lahore meeting

Gandapur, speaking at a Lahore press conference on July 13, described the movement as a “do-or-die” effort to challenge what PTI calls a “fascist regime” and to secure Khan’s release.

In contrast, Aliya has firmly backed an immediate protest on August 5, aligning with a call attributed to Imran Khan via his sister, Aleema Khan.

Aliya has reportedly threatened to resign if the party deviates from this date, highlighting a lack of coordination with the central leadership. The rift became public when she voiced her frustration on X.