Swabi convention fails to resolve intra-PTI rift

SWABI: Disappointment among the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) district leaders and workers continues to persist and the convention arranged here 10 days back could not resolve the issue of internal differences, sources in the party told The News here on Monday.

They said Defense Minister Pervez Khattak, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, MPAs and other leaders just came, delivered speeches at the convention and left.

The sources said when there was a time for the decision, these were made behind closed doors. "Not a single leader or worker was allowed to pose a question about various internal issues. If anyone tried, he was warned and forced to sit down," said the sources while quoting a prominent party district office-bearer.

The sources recalled that in the general election 2018, none of the office-bearers was on board when tickets were awarded, and the same was the story of local government elections tickets.

However, the leaders started saying the party workers were our real force after the PTI tasted a humiliating defeat in the recent local government elections. The workers were not allowed to share their feelings with party senior leaders, who were dominant and planned to remain powerful, said the sources.

When contacted, the workers said they were no longer ready to play a due role because the party high-ups wanted to dodge them once again, adding the gloomy environment in the ruling party has been created by the leadership policies and dictatorial approach.