mran Khan’s incarceration has exposed certain weaknesses of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, arguably the country’s most popular political party today. For now, the PTI has turned into an umbrella platform, housing several conflicting groups working compulsively to secure control of the party through Khan’s popularity. One of the biggest indicators of the ongoing chaos is the rising influence of Imran Khan’s spouse, Bushra Bibi, who has been calling the shots in the party. Adding another dimension to the complex is Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, who is also trying to expand her influence in the party.

“PTI leaders are following the instructions of Bushra Bibi for the November 24 protest call because Imran Khan has given her the authority to run party affairs,” a well-informed PTI insider told The News on Sunday. Aleema Khan, on the other hand, is doing things her way, he adds.

However, Bushra Bibi does not enjoy the support of PTI’s rank and file. This, in part, is due to her alleged involvement in controversies. Despite this, Bushra Bibi is in charge. She is giving instructions to party leaders and the party’s social media and youth wings. Silent party supporters, however, are more accepting of Aleema Khan. This rift between the two women so closely related to the party’s founder could dent the party’s strength.

When Imran Khan was imprisoned, the PTI lost its already waning organisational strength. In part, some argue, the party was already on weak ground due to the failure of Khan and his advisors to organise the party at the grassroots level. The major reason behind Khan’s disinterest in the party’s organisational structure was his faith in the military establishment’s support to secure power. He believed that he could galvanise thousands of people in gatherings and rallies on his own. He was also of the view that his party’s parliamentarians and legislators were elected because of him and that therefore their opinion did not matter. His stubbornness forced several PTI members to leave the party. He did not attempt to stop them either. His ‘mentors’ had assured him that his party would be filled with ‘electables.’ This attitude left ideological gaps in the party’s ranks.

The party lacks an organised leadership. After Khan’s arrest, this weakness poses an existential threat to the party. Many argue that Khan is to be blamed for this. He was fortunate to have the late Miraj Muhammad Khan, in the beginning. But he left him soon. Miraj Muhammad Khan, seen by many as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s political successor in the 1970s, could have been instrumental in the party’s organisation and the ideological mentoring of its workers.

Khan and his party got another chance when Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Jahangir Tareen joined its ranks. They lost Hashmi early on and, later, Tareen as well. Qureshi has stood with him through much and is still in jail. Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, a political veteran, also joined Khan and became the chief minister of the Punjab. He sacrificed his family relations with Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and his cousins. He endured imprisonment as well. Khan’s lack of appreciation of Elahi’s sacrifices seems to have dispirited him.

Who is the party left with now? Barrister Gohar Khan, whom some people describe as a naive politician, is the party chairman; Salman Akram Raja, a brilliant lawyer but a new face in both the party and politics, is the secretary general; Omar Ayub Khan is the opposition leader in the National Assembly; and Ali Amin Gandapur, who is often seen in conflict with other PTI leaders like Asad Qaiser and Atif Khan, is the party’s face in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Those familiar with Khan’s ways say that he does not like to have potential challengers around. In this regard, they point to his careers as cricketer and politician. He prefers, they say, subordinates in his team to peers. In Khan’s absence, Sher Afzal Marwat became a popular leader among PTI’s supporters. However, his opponents in the party soon started accusing him of being a “mole of the establishment.” Marwat went to Sindh to launch the party’s campaign ahead of the February elections but Khan asked him to withdraw. Later, he nominated Marwat for the office of the opposition leader in the National Assembly, only to withdraw the nomination shortly after.

Marwat’s speech at a PTI rally in Peshawar last week highlighted intra-party tussles. He said that PTI leaders were fighting each other for ministries and party positions instead of focussing on Imran Khan’s release. “Some leaders had told me to remain silent, failing which they threatened me with expulsion from the party,” he said. “Such threats cannot stop me from speaking the truth.”

Apart from organisational and policy flaws, the party is faced with financial challenges. Most of the party’s major financial backers have either parted ways with it or are reluctant to contribute at this stage. Struggling to collect funds, the party is pressing its MNAs and MPAs to spend their own money.

“PTI’s youth wing has raised over Rs 10 million and deposited it in the party fund,” a party insider says. He adds that significant amounts have also been donated by expat Pakistanis.

Recently, Bushra Bibi told party MNAs to bring 10,000 supporters each and MPAs to bring 5,000 supporters each to their anticipated Islamabad protest. Failing this, they were told, they would not be awarded party tickets in the future. This threat has implications beyond political support. This directive requires each MNA to spend three to five million rupees and each MPA to spend two to three million rupees for bringing ‘supporters’ to Islamabad.

Poor decision-making has been a hallmark of PTI’s political strategy. Once again, the party has made a questionable decision in calling for another prolonged sit-in in Islamabad with harsh weather approaching the capital. If sound political thought is not brought into its policy and political decisions, attempts at such muscle flexing will only serve to damage the party’s image in the long run.

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