Differences emerge in PTI Mardan over party offices

MARDAN: Differences have emerged among workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the alleged selection of office-bearers for party units in Mardan, party sources said on Sunday.

They said that former provincial minister and PTI Peshawar region president Atif Khan allegedly selected his favourites for different offices in the party and other important positions at district level without consulting the party’s former lawmakers and other senior leaders.

The sources said the majority of the party workers in the WhatsApp groups had started criticizing Atif Khan and this led to their removal from the social media platform. They added that the caretaker government appointed two PTI lawyers from Mardan as private counsels for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority.

Sources said that the notification to this effect was allegedly issued on the request of Tariq Afridi Advocate, who was a candidate of PMLN running for the elections of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association. Some PTI lawyers, the sources said, had allegedly started campaigning for the PML-N candidate against the PTI’s nominee.

After the selection of former MNA Mujahid Khan as district president and Ayaz Safi as general secretary the party workers launched a campaign against them on the social media platforms, the sources added.

Both the office-bearers belonged to the same union council. The sources alleged that Atif Khan had selected his blue-eyed persons from union council Babani, rural Mardan, Kata Khat,

Gujarat while ignoring party workers from other union councils.

The majority of the PTI’s former lawmakers in Mardan are said to be dissatisfied with this selection of Atif Khan. Sources added that due to the wrong decision of the Peshawar region president Atif Khan, the party workers had divided into several groups and they were not ready to accept the district president and general secretary. Party insiders claimed that the majority of the senior party leaders had decided to stage a protest rally at Zaman Park Lahore against Atif Khan.