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• KP CM to brief high-level body today after plan ‘shocks’, ‘divides’ party leadership
• Party spox says secrecy surrounding ex-PM’s health ‘intensified public unease’
ISLAMABAD: The announcement of a ‘release force’ for former prime minister Imran Khan by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has divided the PTI, which will debate the merits of this proposal at a meeting of its political committee today (Friday).
The proposed force was announced by the CM in a press conference after the opposition alliance called off its protest at the Parliament House and aims to continue the peaceful struggle for the release of the party founder, imprisoned in the Adiala jail for more than two years. He told reporters that Imran Khan had given him a mandate for a street movement and the ‘Imran Khan Release Force’ would work to secure relief for the jailed founder. The CM had also met the sisters of Mr Khan prior to this decision.
The proposal caused concerns among the party leaders, who questioned the rationale for this ‘release force’. They said if the PTI was going to form another ‘Al-Zulfikar’, a left-wing militant outfit formed by the sons of former PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979. A party leader, wishing not to be named, said that the announcement had shocked many.
“The PTI has Insaf Students Federation (ISF) and the party’s youth wing also exists. Why is there a need to form a third wing for the release of Imran Khan, as efforts can be made from the platform of the ISF and the youth wing?” he said.
The PTI leader said that in the past, Sohail Afridi and Meena Khan were heading the youth wings and now Khalid Khursheed had given this responsibility to Asif Toor. “They both want to form a new wing to control the youth,” he alleged.
Another leader said he was shocked to hear the word “force” instead of a body.
“So we have decided that a meeting of the political committee will be held on Friday, via Zoom, wherein the KP CM will explain the reason for this proposal as well as why the existing youth wings cannot play their role for the release of Imran Khan,” he said.
The PTI’s Central Information Secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, confirmed that a meeting of the political committee would be held on Friday, in which the CM would explain the reasons for a new body.
Transparency on Imran Khan’s health
Meanwhile, Mr Akram expressed concern about growing anxiety in public regarding the health of the former prime minister, demanding that his personal physicians be granted immediate and unrestricted access to conduct necessary medical examinations.
He said that the matter concerning the party’s founder was not merely political, but a test of national trust, human rights, and the government’s responsibility.
“Any ambiguity surrounding the health of a leader who commands the confidence of millions is unacceptable. The government’s silence and lack of clarity have only intensified public unease rather than alleviating it,” he said.
“We demand that Imran Khan’s personal physicians be granted immediate and unrestricted access to conduct all necessary medical examinations, including blood tests and any other required diagnostic procedures,” he demanded.
He further added that if any scans or specialised evaluations were required, he must be allowed to be taken to a hospital or diagnostic centre of his choice, as it was the government’s responsibility to provide the nation with clear, verified, and unambiguous medical facts.
Replying to a question, the PTI spokesperson said that what difference would it make if one or two physicians trusted by Mr Khan were included in the medical board. “Continued denial creates doubts that there is something which the government wants to hide,” he added.
Separately, former Azad Kashmir prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi and other PTI leaders reached the prison, but were informed that they could not meet Mr Khan.
Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026
