he Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is showing signs of serious internal discord. The biggest proof of infighting is the recent resignation of its secretary-general, Omar Ayub.

Media reports have suggested that 27 PTI-backed parliamentarian have threatened to resign or form a forward bloc.

Following the resignation offer, Imran Khan, the party’s founder-leader, too, has publicly admitted that there are rifts within the party and said he would be meeting representatives of the various factions. Talking to reporters in a courtroom in Adiala prison, Khan stressed that there were no big differences within the party.

Outwardly, there are two factions within the party. However, some party insiders say that there are no less than a dozen groups within the PTI all vying for prominence and control.

Though the formal PTI leaders deny the existence of any conflict in the party, the actions and statements of several leaders strengthen this impression. MNA Shandana Gulzar, while talking to media on Thursday outside Adiyala Jail where she had gone to meet Imran Khan along with some other PTI leaders, said: “There is no Punjabi or Pakhtun group in the party. We are united under Khan’s leadership.”

Senator Shibli Faraz also spoke to the media outside the jail after the administration did not allow the PTI leaders to meet Khan. “Some people have sneaked into the party to sow the seeds of discord in the party.” To dispel this impression, the leaders of the so-called Punjabi and Pakhtun groups held a joint media talk. “We are one entity,” they told the media.

Shandana Gulzar, a prominent member of the Pakhtun group, also told the media that she would request the PTI founder not to accept Omar Ayub Khan’s resignation. It was believed that the scene outside a court in Islamabad in which the PTI activists mistreated Omar was orchestrated by his rivals in the party.

Fawad Chaudhry and Sher Afzal Marwat have been issuing statements against each other and other party stalwarts. Fawad Chaudhry has criticised Hamid Khan on several occasions. “People like Hamid Khan are trying to destroy the party. When establishment was targeting people like me, Hamid Khyan was enjoying a foreign trip.” Hamid Khan has responded by saying: “Fawad left the party to save himself and joined the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party.”

Fawad has also criticised PTI’s current spokesman, Rauf Hassan, saying that he is not a political leader but an employee of the PTI who has received hundreds of thousands of rupees for serving the PTI.

Sher Afzal Marwat, cornered by his colleagues in the party because of his statements, has said: “Fawad Chaudhry was part of the conspiracy against the PTI government. He was dancing to the Gen Bajwa’s tune.”

The PTI has struggled with discipline in its ranks ever since it gained considerable popularity in 2011. Recent statements of the party leaders show that one of the top political forces in Pakistan is not a disciplined party but a motley group of ambitious people lacking statesmanship and putting their interests above those of the party.

The PTI has struggled with discipline in its ranks ever since it gained considerable popularity in 2011. Recent statements by senior leaders show that one of the top political forces in Pakistan is not a disciplined party but a motley group of ambitious persons lacking statesmanship and putting their interests above those of the party.

A PTI insider privy to the deevlopments, told The News on Sunday: “There are at least 14 groups in the party. Their leaders are following their separate agendas instead of sticking to the party’s policy… Bringing the lawyers to the forefront is what has harmed the PTI the most. They lack political strength and try to overcome the political vision by suggesting that every matter be taken to a court.”

“Some of the senior leaders like Hamid Khan were of the view that the chief justice should not be targeted. However, others in the legal team and some political hawks decided to express distrust in the CJP,” the insider said.

According to another source, these groups express different opinions during meetings with Khan. This creates confusion amongst the party ranks about the party’s policy. “For example, a group persuaded Khan to form an alliance with the MWM to get the reserved seats. However, the other group, belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opposed such an alliance. Then a group of leaders, who had been associated with the Jamaat-i-Islami previously, told the founder that the JI might be a better option than the MWM. He was convinced. Again, another group, previously associated with the PPP, opposed the idea saying that the JI would hijack the PTI,” said the source. This led to the struggle to get reserved seats through a legal battle.

Likewise, much confusion about holding talks with political forces was created by these groups. Khan had appointed Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the negotiator but these groups stopped him from proceeding further. Achakzai has since developed doubts about the PTI and its political attitude.

The sources say some senior PTI leaders supported the idea of an alliance with Maulana Fazl-ur Rehman and his Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam for a joint movement against electoral rigging to press the government for elections in 2025. However, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur opposed the idea. Resultantly, the PTI faced a setback in the Supreme Court of Pakistan during the hearing of the reserved seats case in which the Sunni Ittehad Council challenged the allocation of extra reserved seats to the other parties, claiming that those seats should be given to the SIC instead. During the hearing, the JUI’s lawyer told the court that the party supported the Election Commission’s decision to allocate the reserved seats claimed by the SIC to the other parties since the SIC did not participate in the elections as a party and never submitted a list of its candidates for the seats reserved for women and the minorities.

The splits have dented the party’s image. The only factor keeping the party intact and popular is Khan’s charisma. Otherwise, the PTI would have crumbled into several splinter factions.

According to another insider, Fawad Chaudhry and some other senior leaders have advised Khan to focus on the political ideology of the party instead of following the lawyers, who take every matter to the courts.

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