ISLAMABAD: After the PTI failed to stage a planned sit-in outside the Adiala jail on Tuesday, a blame game has ensued between the PTI leaders and the PTI-led alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan, headed by Mehmood Khan Achakzai, over the failure of the protest.

The plan, which was supposed to gather at least 10,000 supporters outside the prison to express solidarity with the jailed PTI chief, was also publicly shared by Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan. On Tuesday, Aleema told reporters that she was approached by Mr Achakzai, who informed her that 10,000 persons could be gathered outside the prison for a sit-in if given a timeframe. Eventually, it was decided to stage the sit-in from 3pm to 7pm, but the crowd could not be gathered.

TTAP asserts PTI leaders aware of plan after Khattak ‘feigns ignorance’

On the same day, PTI leader Shahid Khattak blamed Mr Achakzai for not informing the PTI about the planned protest. He had said they would have gathered the required number of people if the TTAP chief had informed them.

TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmad Yousafzai on Wednesday contested the claim made by Mr Khattak. “PTI leaders and members had repeatedly requested Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai to announce a specific date and time for a protest or sit-in outside the Adiala jail,” he said.

He said the PTI leaders argued that a fixed schedule would enable them to mobilise and bring a large number of supporters to the venue, adding that the proposal was conveyed to Aleema Khan, who endorsed it. The spokesperson claimed that discussions and decisions had been shared with PTI’s parliamentary leadership, as he expressed concern over subsequent remarks made by Shahid Khattak.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2026