MANSEHRA: Internal differences within the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf ranks surfaced publicly on Monday following Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati alleged irregularities in funds donated by overseas Pakistanis for the party’s general election campaign in 2024, while MPA Laiq Mohammad Khan announced to take him to court of law.

“Overseas Pakistanis had transferred substantial funds for the PTI’s 2024 election campaign, but 75 per cent of those funds were allegedly embezzled by a group within the party,” Mr Swati claimed while addressing a gathering held in connection with the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dilbori Gali-Machasar Torghar Road at the Jar Galli area.

The speaker inaugurated Rs980 million road project, funded by the World Bank, and said he had played a key role in securing funds for the road linking Mansehra with Torghar districts, as well as for other development schemes.

“I have no hesitation in saying that most of the development projects currently under way in Torghar were approved on the demand of former PTI divisional president and MPA Zargul Khan,” Mr Swati said.

Says 75pc of donations sent by overseas Pakistanis for 2024 election campaign embezzled

He said Zargul Khan, who left the PTI before the 2024 general elections, had also played an important role in the creation of Baffa-Pakhal and Darband tehsils in Mansehra district. Responding to the allegations, MPA Laiq Mohammad Khan, younger brother of PTI leader and Senator Azam Khan Swati, strongly criticised the speaker’s remarks.

“The speaker has raised serious allegations and we will challenge them in a court of law. He should identify who the direct beneficiaries of those overseas funds are and who received a share of that money,” Mr Khan said.

He said the issue of foreign funding would also be taken up within the party to determine how much money had been received and who had benefited from it.

“I want to make it clear that the development funds sanctioned for Torghar are the result of our efforts. The people of this erstwhile tribal district overwhelmingly supported Imran Khan during the 2024 elections,” he said. Mr Khan questioned why, if the speaker had the authority to secure development funds, similar projects had not been approved for Mansehra district.

“We are grateful to successive chief ministers including Mehmood Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur and Mohammad Sohail Afridi for allocating substantial development funds to Torghar in recognition of the people’s commitment,” he said.

Party sources claimed that although Mr Swati did not name anyone during his speech, his remarks were widely perceived as referring to Senator Azam Khan Swati, who had raised corruption issues against the Speaker KP publicly earlier this year.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2026