PESHAWAR: The signs of infighting within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter are growing as two senior office-bearers have been sacked with the approval of provincial president of the party and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

The removal of PTI president for Peshawar region MNA Mohammad Atif Khan and president for Peshawar district MNA Sher Ali Arbab comes 10 days after the de-notification of communication and works minister Shakeel Khan over alleged corruption.

These three PTI leaders are reportedly part of a group opposing Mr Gandapur.

PTI general secretary in the province Ali Asghar Khan notified the elevation of PTI Peshawar district general secretary Mohammad Asim Khan as the new regional president and additional general secretary Irfan Saleem as the district president.

Removal of MNAs Atif Khan and Sher Ali comes with CM Gandapur’s consent

He also issued a notification of the appointment of Shahab Khan as the new general secretary of PTI’s Peshawar district.

The Peshawar region comprises Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s central districts, including Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi and Nowshera.

Conflicts in the PTI and its provincial government surfaced when party founder Imran Khan sent a stern message from his jail cell to members of his party’s government that they all would be held accountable for corruption and governance issues in their departments.

The message was made public by the then provincial minister for communication and works department, Shakeel Khan, during a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on August 3.

“He (Imran Khan) had information that all is not well in some departments, so he asked us to deliver a clear-cut message to cabinet members, administrative secretaries and other government officials that they will be held responsible for any corruption, commission and irregularities in their departments,” Mr Shakeel said after meeting Mr Imran along with other party leaders in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

Sources in the PTI claimed that the provincial government was not happy with the way Imran Khan’s message was delivered to the cabinet by one of its members.

They added that apparently, Mr Shakeel was punished through the August 17 de-notification as a minister amid growing PTI infighting over alleged corruption and irregularities in top echelons of the province’s leadership.

However, the former minister claimed to have quit the cabinet, with his “resignation letter” starting to circulate on social media platforms around midnight.

However, the provincial government insisted that the communication minister be removed on the recommendation of a three-member accountability committee formed by the chief minister on the orders of Mr Imran.

Mr Atif later uploaded a message in favour of Mr Shakeel from his account on X (formerly Twitter), declaring him an honest person.

“I have worked in the cabinet with Shakeel Ahmad for ten years and have never seen a more honest minister than him. He (Shakeel) pointed out the corruption in KP cabinet when asked by Imran Khan in jail. A conspiracy was hatched against Shakeel Khan. Two conspirators will be exposed when the time comes,” he tweeted.

Sources in the PTI claimed that some central leaders of the party, including former president Arif Alvi, had requested the sacked minister and office-bearers not to issue any statement that could fuel party differences.

They added that those leaders believed that the growing rifts in the ruling party would badly affect the movement for the release of Mr Imran and plans for a public rally in Islamabad on Sept 8.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2024