Islamabad [Pakistan], August 23 : The PTI's decision to postpone its August 22 gathering in Tarnol at the last minute caused controversy within the party, with some leaders alleging that party founder Imran Khan, currently imprisoned in Adiala jail, was not consulted before the postponement, Dawn News reported.
While PTI leaders Gohar Ali Khan and Azam Swati stated on Thursday that the postponement decision was made by Khan in consideration of demonstrations to ensure the sanctity of Khatm-i-Nabuwwat (PBUH) scheduled for the same day, many, including Khan's sister, questioned this explanation.
At a press conference outside Adiala jail, Khan and Swati said they had met Khan first thing in the morning and claimed he instructed them to postpone the rally. KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also asserted that the cancellation was ordered by Khan, with the event now set for September 8.
A senior PTI leader told Dawn that the postponement decision was made during a Wednesday night meeting of the party leadership in Peshawar, following the federal government's cancellation of the event's no-objection certificate. The party leadership met the KP chief minister at the CM House on Wednesday night and decided not to hold the gathering without official permission.
KP government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif confirmed that a meeting was held to assess the situation after the cancellation of permission. The sudden postponement revealed a lack of coordination within the party and a trust deficit among leaders.
An audio recording, purportedly of Aleema Khan, exacerbated this impression. In the recording, broadcast by several TV channels, Aleema Khan can be heard saying the rally was postponed without taking Imran Khan into confidence, and accusing some party leaders of working for the establishment. She also questioned who instructed Azam Swati to meet Khan early in the morning and to postpone the meeting, Dawn reported.
Mahmood Khan Achkzai, who leads the PTI opposition alliance, was unaware of the postponement when he arrived at the venue at 4 p.m. and found the PTI leadership absent. Following the postponement, hundreds of PTI workers who had travelled to Islamabad began to return.
A video on social media showed KP CM Gandapur distributing money to supporters in Swabi, while some party workers and leaders voiced their dissatisfaction with the delay, criticizing it as a sign of PTI's weakness. Some supporters briefly blocked the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway after discovering that party leader Sher Afzal Marwat had been detained, though he was later released.
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