Pakistan: Cracks In Imran Khan's PTI As Lawmakers Revolt For Lack of Efforts To Free Imran Khan

A group of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has openly challenged the party’s leadership, accusing it of weak governance and neglecting jailed founder Imran Khan. The members warned that unresolved grievances, both political and administrative, could cause serious damage to PTI’s standing in the province and across Pakistan. according to ANI.

The disgruntled Provincial Assembly members, who said they were sidelined during the recent cabinet expansion, held an emergency huddle in Peshawar. After the meeting, they sent a detailed letter to PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali, outlining complaints about the provincial government and the broader party strategy.

Imran Khan release movement and PTI lawmakers’ demands

The communication focused heavily on the Imran Khan release movement, claiming the campaign looked weak and disorganised. The letter said the leadership’s “lack of efforts” to secure Imran Khan’s freedom and safeguard health had caused “anxiety among workers, supporters and patriotic citizens” across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and beyond.

The lawmakers argued that hundreds of PTI leaders and workers, along with Imran Khan, remained in jail. They said this situation required a clear roadmap for legal support and help for families. The group urged the central leadership to adopt a coordinated and effective legal strategy for all related cases.

Governance issues and Imran Khan release movement strategy

Beyond the Imran Khan release movement, the legislators sharply criticised governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the Dawn report, they highlighted “interference by irrelevant individuals in the provincial government's affairs, deviation from merit, unfair distribution of resources and lack of proper consultation with relevant MPAs in decisions about their constituencies' powers and development resources".

The participants called for an end to secret deals and informal influence within the provincial set-up. They insisted that state affairs should follow transparency, merit, institutional discipline and structured consultation with elected representatives. They said Imran Khan’s stated vision, including good governance, must be visible in daily administration.

Internal criticism of Imran Khan release movement tactics

The letter painted the ongoing Imran Khan release movement as shallow and poorly planned. It stated, "Workers feel the release movement has deviated from its core direction and become limited merely to health and treatment matters. The ongoing movement for the leader's release appears largely limited to formal statements, restricted protest activities and symbolic measures. A new strategy should be formulated to make the movement effective, organised and result-oriented."

The rebel group warned that, if such basic flaws were not fixed quickly, the party could face serious political consequences. They demanded a “positive, comprehensive, effective and result-oriented strategy” aimed at securing the former prime minister’s release and addressing wider organisational weaknesses.

Internal debates, media coverage and Imran Khan release movement

During a parliamentary session, the PTI lawmakers held lengthy discussions on the political climate, Imran Khan’s prolonged imprisonment and the weakening Imran Khan release movement. They said grassroots workers felt abandoned and suggested that protest efforts had failed to create momentum. The members also criticised some local media outlets for presenting misleading stories.

They accused these channels of linking Provincial Assembly members with splinter groups, suggesting rifts larger than those declared. The letter responded, "The meeting clarified that all assembly members are committed to the ideology, manifesto and vision of PTI founder Imran Khan and are neither working on the agenda of any group, faction or personality nor do they associate themselves with any specific group."

Cabinet expansion, boycott and Imran Khan release movement actions

A lawmaker told Dawn that about 20 members were especially resentful after being denied important cabinet posts. This sense of exclusion, according to the report, added to anger over the Imran Khan release movement and governance. The same lawmaker said the group decided to challenge the image of unity promoted by the provincial administration.

The disgruntled bloc boycotted a parliamentary meeting called by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Instead of attending, the members travelled to Rawalpindi, where they planned demonstrations outside Adiala Jail. The move was aimed at signalling support for Imran Khan and drawing attention to jailed PTI workers.

Party leadership response and future of Imran Khan release movement

According to Dawn, a copy of the letter was also sent to PTI’s central secretary general and central information secretary. The lawmakers hoped the wider leadership would step in, address their complaints and reshape the Imran Khan release movement and governance strategy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The report said Barrister Gohar Ali had not yet engaged with the revolt, as Gohar Ali remained busy with the party’s election campaign in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan. For now, the lawmakers continue to press for transparency, merit-based decisions and a stronger, more credible push for Imran Khan’s release.

With inputs from agencies