t would be an understatement to say that Barrister Gohar Ali Khan’s election as chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has led to a string of controversies, within the party and, as some allege, in Imran Khan’s family. It may be too early to judge the decision to make Gohar the chairman but from the looks of it, the move can both benefit and damage the party in the upcoming elections.

The first controversy appeared on November 29, when a group of lawyers including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Senator Ali Zafar, Umair Niazi and Sher Afzal Khan Marwat met the former PTI chairman at the Adiala Jail. After the meeting, while speaking to the media, the group said that Imran Khan would not run in the intra-party polls because of his conviction in the Toshakhana Case and subsequent disqualification.

Marwat said, “Khan has decided that he will contest the election for the office of chairman. There is a consensus that he will regain his position once the legal matters are settled.”

The revelation left many stunned, especially since talk of a “minus-Imran” formula was already making the rounds in the media and among PTI supporters. Within hours, a PTI spokesperson, through an official press statement, contradicted the claim, saying that no such decision had been taken.

Sher Afzal Marwat immediately reacted to the spokesperson’s statement and said, “Imran Khan made the decision in the presence of Senator Ali Zafar, Barrister Gohar, Umair Niazi and I. He will not contest the intra-party polls.” He also posted on X: “I fail to understand who is behind the contradiction and why the misleading statement was issued?”

Gohar’s nomination has irked some PTI leaders and supporters. They hold that it was a weak decision. Then there are those who draw parallels between this and his controversial nomination of Usman Buzdar as Punjab’s chief minister during Khan’s tenure as prime minister. The decision had led to a vivid split in the party.

A PTI insider tells The News on Sunday, “Names of senior lawyer Hamid Khan and PTI’s vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi were also discussed. Khan did not approve either of them.”

It may be mentioned here that Qureshi is also in Adiala Jail where he is being tried in the Cipher Case. Hamid Khan is also a founding member of the PTI. He had left the party at one stage but rejoined in 2022 after Khan was ousted from power.

Some PTI supporters question the wisdom in opting for a person who joined the PTI two years ago and was once associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party.

The second controversy relates to reports of a split within Imran Khan’s family following the “leak” of a call between Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and former Punjab governor Latif Khosa, who is currently Khan’s counsel in some cases. The recording indicates that Bushra Bibi and Khan’s sister have serious differences on Latif Khosa’s role as Khan’s lawyer.

The News on Sunday can verify that a trust deficit exists between Imran Khan and Latif Khosa. An important member of Khan’s legal team, on the condition of anonymity, had disclosed this to this scribe three months ago. “I am returning from Attock after meeting Imran Khan. He told us to take care of the cases against him and to not give much space to Mr Khosa,” he had said then.

The ‘leaked conversation’ tends to support the suggestion that there exist concerns regarding Khosa’s role as a counsel for Khan; that Bushra Bibi supports Khosa and has developed differences with Khan’s sister over the issue.

Earlier, some PTI social media activists had sought to create the impression that either Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, or Bushra Bibi might become the next PTI chairperson.

Gohar Ali Khan’s election as PTI chairman appears to have put that speculation to rest.

Akbar S Babar, a founding member of the PTI and a petitioner against Khan in the Foreign Funding Case, had made a surprise visit to the PTI secretariat when the intra-party election schedule was announced. Babar later told the media that he had wanted to contest the election and had visited the party office to get a nomination form but had failed to do so since the election commissioner was not present.

Subsequently, through a press release, the PTI announced that Gohar Ali Khan had been elected unopposed. Babar has since challenged PTI’s polls process before the Election Commission of Pakistan, pleading that the elections were not conducted according to the party’s constitution and therefore, the ECP should declare these void.

On the other hand, the new PTI chairman, Gohar Ali Khan, has urged the ECP to issue PTI the certificate with its electoral symbol now that the party has complied with the ECP’s instructions to conduct elections.

Nominating Gohar might have been a smart move. He is a soft-spoken lawyer. Had Khan nominated Shah Mehmood Qureshi or Ali Muhammad Khan, it may have been a risky choice since both are under trial themselves. If convicted, they might face disqualification.

The new chairman is not involved in any case. If he is targeted, he can mobilise lawyers for an agitation movement. Historically speaking, lawyers’ movements have been instrumental in the struggle for democracy in Pakistan.

Another reason for choosing Gohar could be his gentle demeanour. This leaves the door open to talks with the establishment as well as other political forces.

The down side is that the sentiment against Gohar could widen the rifts within the party. While Khan’s vote bank remains intact, and he is still the most popular political leader, he risks losing a large chunk of his support from political leaders facing hardships because of him.

On the face of it, members of the PTI legal team appear to be happy over Gohar’s election as chairman. However, there are those who are disgruntled with the choice. Some of them have been serving the party and contesting Khan’s cases from day one. This risks a revolt in the lawyers’ wing of the party.

A PTI stalwart, requesting anonymity, told TNS, “Khan’s decision to appoint Usman Buzdar as Punjab’s chief minister had deeply dented the party. This decision will also dent the PTI’s vote bank. But there was no other choice since a political leader would be easier to victimise.”

The writer is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and analyst. His X handle: @BukhariMubasher