Internal rifts deepen in PTI Mardan chapter

MARDAN: Divisions within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Mardan have deepened, as growing rifts between lawmakers and party organizations continued to hinder efforts to present a united political front.

On Friday, each PTI Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) from the district organized separate protests regarding the May 9 and November 26 events, holding them at private venues instead of staging a unified demonstration. The move drew criticism from party officials and workers, who termed it a betrayal of the collective mission to secure the release of PTI founder Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, the PTI Mardan Tehsil chapter held its own protest outside the Mardan Press Club, attended only by MPA Tariq Aryani. Party workers lamented that internal divisions and groupings within PTI had prevented the district leadership from holding an effective and coordinated protest.

Workers alleged that MPAs were unwilling to cooperate with party organizations because local office-bearers and organizational bodies were being sidelined in key decision-making processes. As a result, they said, elected representatives had distanced themselves from the party’s grassroots structures, creating frustration among loyal workers.

District and tehsil-level office-bearers expressed anger that while they were mobilized for protests and demonstrations, they were ignored when it came to important political matters particularly the appointment of provincial ministers. They argued that the leadership should have consulted local organizations before granting ministries or including any MPA from Mardan in the provincial cabinet. Such unilateral decisions, they warned, weakened the party’s internal structure and demoralize its committed workers.

Several PTI officials hinted that they might issue a strong reaction if the provincial leadership continued to bypass local organizations in future political decisions. Workers said that despite all elected representatives from Mardan belonging to PTI, they had failed to organize a strong and unified protest for Imran Khan’s release.