ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan this week said he did not see any “meaningful momentum” building behind his party’s anti-government protest scheduled for Aug. 5, urging members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to set aside their differences and unite.
Reports of a rift within the party began to emerge after Ali Amin Gandapur, a close Khan aide and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister, announced on July 13 that a 90-day “do-or-die” protest drive against the government is underway. The protest call, however, appeared to contradict an earlier demand for a nationwide protest posted on Khan’s official X account, which the party says will reach its “peak” on Aug. 5. The day marks the second anniversary of Khan’s imprisonment on corruption charges.
Speculation of conflicts within the party further grew after senior PTI leader and Punjab Chief Organizer Aliya Hamza Malik publicly voiced concerns on X about a lack of clarity around the campaign after Gandapur’s announcement. Malik questioned the origin of the 90-day plan and asked for details on the party’s strategy to secure Khan’s release.
In a message shared last week through his official X account— which Khan does not operate as he is in jail— the PTI founder instructed his party leaders and supporters to avoid airing their personal differences on media.
“Let me make this absolutely clear: every member of the party must immediately set aside all internal differences and focus solely on the movement planned for August 5th,” a message shared from Khan’s account read on Thursday. “I do not see any meaningful momentum building behind this initiative at present.”
Khan’s message said the public had voted for the PTI in the 2024 February national election despite the party losing its electoral symbol. He said after receiving such a “clear mandate,” it is the moral and political responsibility of every party member to “become the voice of the people.”
“It will be nothing short of disgraceful and condemnable if PTI leaders waste time on internal conflicts at this critical juncture,” his message read. “Anyone found engaging in factionalism within the party will be expelled.”
The PTI alleges it won the 2024 national election but was denied victory through massive rigging, a charge the election commission and Pakistan’s government have both vehemently rejected. The party also accuses the government of denying Khan basic human rights in prison, allegations that have also been rejected by authorities.
Pakistan’s government accuses Khan’s party of sabotaging its efforts aimed at reviving the country’s economy by staging violent protests. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar earlier this month dismissed the PTI’s protest call as a “political gimmick.”
“PTI has lost street power and its credibility, and is heading toward irrelevance,” the minister had said.
Khan’s party has led several anti-government protests since the cricketer-turned-politician was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and jailed in August 2023. One of these protests included a march by thousands of supporters to Islamabad in November 2024 to demand Khan’s release from prison and challenge the legitimacy of the February 2024 general election.
The government says four troops were killed during the protests after clashes between Khan supporters and law enforcers erupted in several parts of the country. The PTI denies it instigated its workers to clash with law enforcers.
