MARDAN, April 15: Differences have erupted in Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Mardan chapter, after some of the new members declared themselves as district office-bearers of the party, it has been learnt.

PTI district president Mohammad Atif and his cabinet members, who have been with the party for last several years, are annoyed with these members who joined them hardly six months ago, party’s district information secretary Riaz Paindakhel told this correspondent here on Sunday.

He confirmed the rift in the Mardan chapter and said that the party now stood divided into two groups in the district.

Mr Paindakhel said that one group led by Mr Atif included senior vice-presidents Khitab Bacha and Islam Wardag, finance secretary Jahanzeb Afzal, Moazam Hoti and several other local office-bearers besides him. He claimed that all these activists had been working for the PTI from last one decade.

He said that the second group was led by Brig (retired) Ismail Khan and it included ex-UC nazim Zahir Shah, Nasir Khan, Naveed Khan and Ubaid Mayar. He claimed that all these people had joined the PTI during last six months.

Mr Paindakhel said that the differences widened when one of the PTI activists welcomed Zahir Shah mentioning him as the party’s tehsil president upon his arrival at a public meeting of the party a few days ago. He claimed that Mr Ismail had declared himself as regional president and Nasir Khan district president of the PTI.

When this correspondent contacted Mr Ismail, he rejected these charges and said that he had made a panel of members for the district level party posts and their supporters were calling them office-bearers of the district organisation during party meetings.

Mr Paindakhel on the other hand said that the group led by Mr Atif believed in election for keeping any party post. He said there was a proper election process within the PTI and those who wanted to get any party post would have to go through that process.