LAHORE: The simmering internal rift within the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf involving its secretary-general and Punjab chief organiser reached its logical end on Wednesday as the latter issued a formal notification reinstating party’s central Punjab president and general secretary – only after the written instructions by the secretary-general.

“Pursuant to the written instructions received from PTI secretary-general Salman Akram Raja, conveyed in direction of the founding chairman Imran Khan, it is hereby notified that Ahmad Chattha is restored as president and Bilal Ejaz as general secretary PTI central Punjab, with immediate effect”, reads the notification issued on Wednesday.

The rift between the senior party leaders had come in full public view some two weeks ago, when chief organiser Aliya Hamza’s notification replacing the central Punjab leadership – endorsed by the secretary general Salman Akram Raja – was disputed by none other than incarcerated party founder Imram Khan. Mr Khan’s displeasure over the change of guards in central Punjab was conveyed by his sister Uzma Khan in a media talk.

The chief organiser had removed central Punjab president Ahmad Chattha and general secretary Bilal Ejaz and appointed Ali Imtiaz Warraich and Tariq Mahmood Sahi through notifications issued on Oct 16 and Oct 25, respectively.

The controversy between the two leaders aggravated, when secretary-general Raja came in public to say that he was misguided by Ms Hamza’s team members, while she was of the view that she had the authority to change the party leadership in central Punjab and elsewhere in the province.

“Mr Khan had assigned me mobilisation in Punjab while empowering me to make changes in Punjab,” she had stated in her tweet on Oct 29. Over appointments’ confusion, she had stated that she would seek Mr Khan’s instructions to rectify matters.

Following Ms Uzma’s message and review committee’s unanimous decision the same evening, Mr Raja announced reinstatement of the party’s central Punjab leadership via his X handle.

“The PTI Punjab review committee meeting has unanimously decided to restore Ahmad Chattha as central Punjab president,” stated Mr Raja in his post on X and added that he explained the committee members about the events since Mr Chattha’s removal.

Speaking to Dawn, Ms Hamza had stated that Mr Raja had formally been declared as incarcerated party founder’s focal person, his tweet is enough to restore previous central Punjab leaders Ahmad Chattha and Bilal Ejaz. “My notification appointing Ali Imtiaz Warraich and Tariq Mahmood Sahi as president and general secretary, respectively, stands null and void,” she had said.

Our staff reporter adds

When asked whether she would issue formal notifications to implement the secretary-general’s decision, she had said, “there is no need for any new notification and the two leaders have been restored to their previous positions”.

In her latest notification restoring old guards in central Punjab, the chief organiser stated the order had been issued in accordance with the chain of command and under the authority of the Punjab chief organiser, ensuring full compliance with the founding chairman’s written direction and consistency with PTI’s organisational constitution.

“The decision is consistent with the conclusions recorded in the Punjab Review Committee meeting held on Nov 7 as well as reaffirms PTI Punjab’s commitment to clarity, discipline, and institutional order, in line with the vision and leadership of jailed founding chairman Imran Khan,” reads the notification.

Though Raja, according to the Nov 7 review committee meeting minutes, had stated the committee participants unanimously decided Chattha be restored as the Central Punjab president through a requisite notification issued by the Punjab chief organiser forthwith, Ms Hamza asserted that she would have issued the notification same day when Mr Khan’s displeasure was relayed in public, if the secretary-general had conveyed the decision in writing.

Speaking to Dawn on Wednesday, Ms Hamza again clarified that she had not reinstated the central Punjab leaders on the review committee’s suggestions but on the written instructions of the PTI secretary general.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2025