fter the historic no-confidence motion in the National Assembly against the then prime minister Imran Khan, around 90 percent of lawmakers belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were of the opinion that the party must not submit en masse resignations from the parliament to leave the field open to its rivals. However, a furious Imran Khan had plans beyond resignations. He took to the streets to wage open war against the establishment and those he called their collaborators and powers abroad. This move overshadowed the poor performance of his government and allowed it stage a comeback on the political front.

Imran Khan’s popularity rose to new heights. For longer than a year – until after the change of command at the highest level in the army – he appeared unstoppable. Then May 9 happened. In the end, his offensive against the ‘conspirators’ led him into a cul-de-sac. Now, he is in jail and his party is in disarray. Various PTI leaders have divergent positions. All of them claim to have received specific directions from Imran Khan. As a result, the party’s problems are multiplying by the day.

From election symbol debacle to joining the Sunni Ittehad Council, several key decisions taken by the party have resulted in setbacks. It has also lost some major battles in the courts. In the absence of Imran Khan, the party leadership appears divided. Many leaders do not agree with the stance other colleagues present before the media. This is causing confusion among their supporters. Recently several leaders have started openly criticising the leadership’s decision of merging with SIC which has landed the party in serious trouble. The decision was meant to get the party its share of reserved seats. It had the opposite effect.

Currently, senior PTI leaders seem to disagree on their relationship with the SIC. This has irked the SIC chief Hamid Raza, who has warned that those issuing conflicting statements will cause disunity within the party besides adding to the problems faced by Imran Khan. In a recent TV interview, he said that the party discipline was being compromised and attention diverted away from Imran Khan’s cases.

Several supporters of the party, including some on social media platforms, have called the merger with the SIC a conspiracy against the party chief. Some of them have called Hamid Raza a ‘stooge’ of the establishment. Some of them have blamed the current chaos in the PTI on the SIC chief.

On the other hand, recounting of ballots in some constituencies, has also hit the PTI hard. In a recent example, in Gujranwala’s NA-81, the PML-N candidate Azhar Qayyum Nahra, has been declared winner with a lead of 3,201 votes, defeating PTI-backed candidate Chaudhry Bilal Ejaz, who had earlier been declared the winner with a margin of 7,791 votes.

There is a remarkable lack of discipline so that everyone in the party appears free to issue a statement. This speaks of a lack of clear policy in terms of communicating the party’s position on key political issues. This is strange considering that on all important matters directions are sought from Imran Khan and most party leaders claim that they meet their leader in jail regularly and that their statements reflect his directions.

Imran Khan’s onslaught against the establishment won him huge popularity, which translated into a large number of seats in the National and Provincial Assemblies in the February 8 general elections. The party then declined an offer from the PPP to form the federal government and the party chief was reported as having said he was opposed to talking to ‘thieves.’ Many party leaders and supporters had been in favour of going with the PPP but were overruled.

The party now faces chaos while its leader is behind bars. The precarious environment is extremely detrimental to the party and will cause frustration among its supporters. Its detractors will make the most from its internal disorder. The PTI is facing many challenges despite being the strongest opposition party in the Punjab and National Assemblies.

Many of the problems the party faces today can be attributed to a lack of a reasonable decision making mechanism in the party. Office bearers and lawmakers continue to act in a disorderly way, adding to the party’s problems. Will the party chief, leaders and supporters come to a realisation that their behaviour – akin to an unruly mob – is only going to benefit their rivals? Will they rethink their actions and start acting like a mature political party? They need to redevise their strategy, aim for the long run and uphold democratic principles. While they are at it, they must also admit that they have been guilty of paving the way for anti-democratic elements and conceding them political space.

The writer is a senior broadcast journalist. He has worked with several news channels in Pakistan