ISLAMABAD: Ousted leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), MNA Sher Afzal Marwat, has claimed that even today the party has no course of action to secure the release of the founder chairman Imran Khan.
In the Jirga show of Geo, he spoke at length about the PTI’s internal matters and the tug-of-war going on and how the social media associated with it was damaging not only the party but ultimately having its negative impact on the PTI founder.
He maintained that a movement could be launched only if a sar phira (bullhead), who has no stakes, is asked to lead it but there were many in the party who would never like this to happen. “There is a feeling among certain people that if a bullhead succeeded in getting the founder chairman out of the jail, it would not be possible to bring his popularity graph down,” he said.
Marwat pointed out that a section of the social media, associated with PTI, had been continuously doing character assassination of the institutions and pushing for a confrontation with them, only bringing a bad name to the party in the world.
He believed that this disastrous policy also provided an opportunity to the rivals, including PMLN, to describe the PTI as anarchist and an anti-Pakistan entity.
Through the social platforms, the You-tubers had pocketed lakhs of dollars on the basis of telling lies and if this trend was not halted, there would be nothing left for them.
In reply to a question, Marwat said that instead of merit, 80 percent of the sitting MPAs or MNAs were given tickets because of their political position, whereas the presence of genuine political workers in the legislatures was extremely thin.
About his ouster from the party thrice, he contended that one of the reasons was his own behaviour of not being a sycophant like many others. “I never considered anyone as my leader except Khan Sahab and this was not acceptable to many in the party. I was also punished for talking of merit with regard to the intra-party polls,” he noted.
He brushed aside the impression, created by some, that he was secretly having links with the establishment. He emphasized that he could not do politics of hypocrisy. The outspoken lawmaker lamented the lack of political discourse in the party and conspiracies being hatched with everyone becoming a party in himself.
Marwat regretted that some were taken back in the party after May 9, who had held news conferences and bashed Imran Khan, and some of them were even given tickets while others were told that a policy decision would be made about them.
“There is no aspect of disgrace to say that only due to Khan Sahab’s sacrifices, the party had gained unprecedented popularity while genuine workers had their due contribution as well,” he emphasized.
Replying to another question, he did not foresee any role for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister with regard to the party, saying, “I don’t think there remains any political role for Ali Amin after having been relieved of the leadership of PTI’s provincial chapter. I don’t foresee his role in the upcoming protest,” he said.
He complained that while infighting was under way and the party was divided in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, none was talking about what had been the part of Punjab chapter. He made it clear that lakhs of people would come out, only if Punjab would take the initiative in this connection.
Barring a few MNAs and MPAs, majority of the party lawmakers were not prepared to come out in their respective constituencies.
Marwat warned that divisions in PTI would increase further if the right of audience was not given and decisions were made unilaterally. He proposed the constitution of a scrutiny committee to listen and take steps for addressing the grievances.