Alarm in PTI over Afridi, Junaid’s threatening posture

ISLAMABAD: Differences have reportedly surfaced within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as several senior leaders have expressed strong reservations about the recent fiery statements of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Shail Afridi and the party’s provincial president, Junaid Akbar.

According to party sources, the tone and tenor adopted by the two leaders have alarmed key figures within the PTI, who fear that such aggressive posturing could put the party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at risk.

Those said to have voiced concerns include PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Senator Shibli Faraz, and Sheikh Waqas Akram, among others.

Sources disclosed that Ali Amin Gandapur, in particular, has warned that inflammatory remarks by the chief minister and the provincial president could endanger the party’s only government. “Instead of making the KP setup vulnerable, efforts should be focused on protecting and sustaining it,” he is reported to have cautioned.

Party insiders further revealed that Barrister Gohar, Shibli Faraz, and Sheikh Waqas Akram also shared similar apprehensions regarding the confrontational stance adopted against the “powers that be.”

There are growing concerns within the PTI that provocative public statements targeting the military establishment could trigger instability and potentially pave the way for a repeat of the May 9-like situation — something the party leadership is keen to avoid.