ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Internal divisions have resurfaced within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced the formation of a “Release Imran Khan Force” to secure the freedom of party founder Imran Khan.
The announcement, made outside the Supreme Court after the Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) abruptly ended its sit-in on the eve of Ramadan, reportedly caught many party leaders off guard.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said he first learned about the proposal during the public announcement, adding that such a move would require endorsement from the party’s Political Committee or Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.
He questioned the need for a new force when existing bodies such as the Insaf Students Federation and PTI Youth Wings were already active.
However, KP CM aide Shafi Ullah Jan defended the move, stating that once announced by the chief minister, the force would be formed regardless of internal objections.
He maintained that party members would be taken on board and claimed the idea had been discussed in a recent Political Committee meeting, though sources indicated sharp divisions within the forum.
Meanwhile, five senior PTI leaders imprisoned in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail — Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Umar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mahmood Rashid — called for postponing all protest activities during Ramadan and urged the party to focus on parliamentary politics.
In a joint letter, they also demanded proper medical care for Imran Khan in consultation with his family and doctors, and condemned recent remarks by President Asif Ali Zardari as inappropriate.
The jailed leaders stressed internal unity, calling for consensus-based decision-making and better organisational discipline ahead of local government elections.
They further urged the party to highlight national issues including rising terrorism, inflation, poverty and unemployment.
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif termed the proposed force unconstitutional and illegal, warning that the KP chief minister’s position could be at risk.
He said only the federal government had the authority to establish any force and dismissed reports about moving Imran Khan abroad or to Bani Gala.