ISLAMABAD: A number of party leaders have taken exception to an internal memo, issued by the PTI, to ensure “chain of command” by vesting extensive power in the office of the secretary general, saying that the move seemed to be an attempt to “end democracy and silence dissent”.

The missive comes amid a widening rift in the opposition party, particularly in Punjab, where leaders have repeatedly aired their dirty laundry in public.

Their lack of access to incarcerated party chief Imran Khan has only exacerbated these differences.

Just last month, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and Punjab organiser Aliya Hamza engaged in a ‘Twitter war’ over the decision to remove the party’s central Punjab president and secretary. Before that, a spat between former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan’s sister Aleema had spilled into the public domain.

Insiders view move as secy general consolidating power to silence dissent; spox says changes will streamline issues, ensure chain of command

On Wednesday, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram defended the memo, issued by Additional Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi, as “the need of the hour”, saying it would streamline the issues faced by the PTI.

The memo binds the party’s central and provincial office-bearers to report to the secretary general, while the district office-bearers can report to their regional leadership.

“To clarify further, no tier can break this chain of command. For the party to function properly, the office-bearers must recognise their domain... The functional duties of the office-bearer will be decided by the GS with the approval of the cabinet of the tier,” it stated.

“All provincial or regional heads’ complaints would be addressed to the centre and to the respective SG or GS as the case may be,” the internal memo signed by Mr Naqvi stated.

Since the PTI’s intra-party elections have been repeatedly shot down by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the party does not have an elected leadership structure in the form of a core committee, and the day-to-day functions of the party are being handled by the political committee.

At present, Salman Akram Raja is the secretary general, but has no power to sign memos because he is serving in an acting role. Mr Naqvi, however, is a signatory authority because the additional secretary general’s role doesn’t require an election.

Seen as an attempt consolidate power in the hands of the secretary general, the memo was criticised by some party leaders, who called it an attempt to run the party like an “army unit”.

They claimed that the PTI constitution had the concept of a “core committee”, not a political committee.

Another leader, on condition of anonymity, said the PTI was going under “one-man rule”. “Now, no decision can be taken without getting the approval of the secretary general. However, it is a fact that currently there is no full time secretary general in the PTI, and that is why Additional SG Mr Naqvi has signed the internal memo,” he explained.

Another leader said there was no mention of the political committee in the party constitution.

“Now there is no room for dissent or disagreement with the secretary general. However, once PTI leaders used to have different opinions and Imran Khan used to say that the difference of opinion was the beauty of the political party,” he said, adding that the decision would lead to further divisions in the party.

Sheikh Waqqas Akram, talking to Dawn, said the chain of command was already defined in the PTI constitution. He said the memo was just a clarification to streamline the issues related to appointments regarding the Election Management and Assessment Cell.

He said it had to be understood that the PTI hierarchy was in accordance with the party constitution, which was submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan in 2019. “Chain of command has to be recognised to run any party smoothly. Parties cannot be run without a chain of command,” he added.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2025