Split hinders PTI’s progress in UK

LONDON: Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf is facing serious crisis at the UK level as many of his close friends and veteran activists who supported him in difficult times feel abandoned, sidelined and marginalized.
There are at least two major factions of PTI active at the UK level, at war with each other and working more against each other than for their respective chapters or the benefit of the party, which has recently shown serious improvements in Pakistani poll ratings.
Members of the alienated group allege that Imran Khan has been hijacked by Rabia Zia, party’s UK coordinator, and the select group of her family and friends she runs and controls almost as a private enterprise, holding complete sway over every major and minor decision, without taking into account Pakistani leadership.
Imran Khan’s old buddies, party colleagues and some family members are not happy over this situation. At a fundraiser on Saturday night at a central London hotel, British Pakistanis donated generously to Imran Khan’s Namal College project in Mianwali and gave him in the tune of nearly £300,000, including pledges of thousands of Pounds more.
But shortly before the start of the event itself, for which Imran Khan flew in especially to participate, one of Imran Khan’s close family relatives and the party’s UK coordinator rowed openly, exchanged curses and came close to hitting each other. Imran’s relative, a shocked eyewitness told this correspondent, questioned one person’s decision - and branding - over everything relating to the event and the party. The UK coordinator was barred from going on the stage during the proceedings of the night.
Just a few days before the public fight at the event shocked PTI supporters, The News is aware, the party’s UK coordinator was asked by the party’s Pakistan command to get approvals from Pakistan from a core committee for any decisions made in the UK with regard to Imran Khan and PTI. Khan’s UK party chapter matters because they have a source of great financial support for the party.
While in the UK, Khan is not even allowed to use his phone by the group surrounding him and all calls to him have to be sanctioned by this group, complain his friends.
“We grew up with Imran in the streets of Lahore and have supported him always. It’s a shame that we cannot access him when he is in our neighbourhood. We are his supporters, we have had fun together and wish him well in his mission but we have been shunted out,” said a friend of Imran Khan, who cannot be named but he is a renowned commentator on cricket and Pakistani politics.
Dr Fouzia Sadiq, a PTI leader, says the UK chapter lacks a proper infrastructure “within the party through free and fair elections to make it an institution” and also there is no financial transparency in PTI UK bank account and audit reports. She blames that unnecessary delays have been caused and paid members are still unsure “if we would be having initiation of electoral processes in the near future”. She says funds are being collected for PTI, Namal College and Karachi Jalsa etc in the same bank account and if proper procedures are not put in place then there could be serious problems with the law.
On 12 December, 2010 a meeting on the international affairs of PTI took place at the Islamabad Office which was chaired by Imran Khan in which it was decided that elections shall be held immediately in all international chapters where paid membership reaches 30. For the UK, the meeting noted especially, that the PTI account should have four signatories. But none of the recommendations about the election or the accounts have been implemented.
GM Khan, a PTI member since 1996 and former Belgium chapter President who now lives in London, says he is struggling “for the implementation of PTI Constitution within Party”. One of the reasons, he thinks, why he finds himself marginalized is his stance that political and charity activities must be separated and “the chairman must give time to political workers during UK visits and the term of the office bearers shall be for 2 years as per the PTI International Constitution”.
When contacted, the UK coordinator for PTI Rabia Zia, acknowledged that there are groups in the party but said Hamid Khan was looking into calling the elections soon. When asked about her controversy with a close relative of Imran Khan she said, “it was just a misunderstanding which was resolved”.