RAWALPINDI: A rift has again appeared in Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) as its regional chapter dissolved the district organisations of Rawalpindi and Jhelum second time in a year.

However, the former organisation of the Rawalpindi district chapter opposed the move of the regional chapter. On Sunday, the former district office-bearers at a meeting decided to take up the matter with PTI Chairman Imran Khan. They said they had been appointed just a month ago and were now shown the door.

They demanded intra-party elections saying the experiment of appointments would not work.

“The former office-bearers at the meeting demanded that the regional chapter should be dissolved otherwise they will stage a sit-in outside Banigala,” said a local leader who attended the meeting.

A senior party leader told Dawn that the issue started between the district and regional chapters when the former made appointments without the approval of the Punjab north regional president, Aamer Kiani.

“These appointments were made in Murree and Kahuta after which the workers expressed their resentment and informed the party chairman that the appointments were made without consulting them.”

He said after receiving the reservations from the workers and supporters over the appointments in the district organisations, the PTI Punjab north imposed a ban on the district presidents to make any appointment without the approval of the regional organisation.

The PTI also issued written directions to the Rawalpindi district organisations to not appoint any person against the vacant post of the city and tehsil organisations without the approval of the regional president, he added.

But the district chapter appointed over 2,000 people in different organisations at the tehsil and union council levels without approval of the regional chapter.

He said Imran Khan took notice of the matter and directed the Punjab north president to carry out an inquiry. Mr Kiani formed a committee, comprising Raja Tariq Kiani, Raja Yasir Sarfaraz, Sardar Mohammad Ali, Ijaz Khan Jazi MPA, Zohaib Khan Afridi and Raheed Khan.

The committee found that the complaints had been forwarded to the Rawalpindi and Jhelum chapters but were not tackled.

As a result, the party dissolved the district presidents and other organisations.

When contacted, the Punjab north president told Dawn that the party had decided to dissolve the organisations and make new appointment after taking old workers and supporters into confidence and approval of the party chairman.

He said the organisations in Rawalpindi and Jhelum had violated the party discipline and the party chief was unhappy over ignoring the old workers.

On the other hand, the party workers and supporters also expressed their reservations on the development.

“Three months ago the party dissolved the district chapter and appointed Zahid Kazmi as the president and removed the then president Haroon Hashmi from the post. Now, the party has dissolved the party organisation,” said Malik Matloob, a resident of Peshawar Road.

“There is no consistency in the party policy which changes the local leadership again and again without taking the workers into confidence,” he said.

Raja Ali Ahmed, an old party worker, said there was a dire need for holding intra-party elections so that the workers can choose their leaders.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2017